OUR MINING PROSPECT.

Otago Witness, Issue 1943, 14 February 1889, Page 12

OUR MINING PROSPECT.

If 'uhe lecture delivered by Mr James Ashcroffc on Thursday evening is marked and inwardly digested, it cannot fail to have a stimulating effect upon an industry only second in importance to that of agriculture In mining matters, what we need at this stage is not the excitement that produces gold rushes, but just such healthful stimulus as shall be, an incentive to patient, steady, and hopeful effort. It is something of a misfortune that a pursuit which> U> be permanently useful, requires persevering and methodical development should be cradled in delirium. The fever which generally accompanies the initial stage of gold finding is followed by a 'depression that greatly retards the growth of the infant industry-. And the early days of discoveries, when men rush to acquire easy wealth by scratching the surface of the Parfch, are not after all the most profitable fco the community at large. The most real epoch of prosperity commences with the recognition that the basis has been found for a rich and permanent industry which will not x)hly # bring temporary fortune to a lucky few but; provide for many thousands Of the population a fair reward for honest labour of brain and hand. There have been a good many wise and encouraging words spoken during the last few years regarding our mineral resources, and Mr Ashcroft's leoture, combining a well-considered theory with some sound practical suggestions, is a Valuable contribution on the subject. His estimate of the magnitude of our resources will be accepted as true by most people who have given any thought to the matter. ,As he says, "We cannot break that bank. Hill "^tops, terraces old and hew, river "'beds old and new, lake beds old and " new, will yet yield up immense quanti- " ties of the precious metal to the inu telligent miner; to say nothing what- " ever of. our quartz lodes which exist "in great numbers and great rich- " ness all through our schist mountains. 11 The £18,000,000 worth of gold we (Otago •• and Southland) have already got is, so to " speak, a certificate of the great richness of 11 the parent rock ; there is plenty more " where that came from." All this is true enough, and it is true also, as the lecturer pointed out, that the treasures of our West Coast ranges have yet to be discovered, and that besides gold there are many other kinds of mineral wealth which New Zealand will yield abundantly in the future. But with all this it is equally certain that the' development of these resources needs different methods and qualifications td fchosfe called into action in the exuberant days of the sixties. It has become too much the custom to reject ground as not payable merely because it will not yield a profit to primitive and unscientific treatment. Mr Ashcroft is not far from the truth in saying that the stage mining has at present reached corresponds with the era of wooden ploughs and yokes of oxen in agriculture, The same tireless ingenuity that has been at work bringing manufacturing and agricultural appliances nearer and nearer to perfection has its part to play in the gold mining of the future. By trained intelligence, skill, and persistence good returns can and will be gained from the vast auriferous deposits Which have been indicated often enough, but which gold miners, debauched by recollection of the fabulous yields of early days, have hitherto passed by indifferently. Smaller returns, but infinitely more extended operations, will be the rule in the time to come. Even at present, in a few noteworthy cases, we find appliances in use which would give profitable results from even the poorest auriferous ground. A telegt'atn read by Mr Asbcroft the other night stated positively that with the improved hydraulic appliances in use at St. Bathans gravel formation at a depth of i^Offc could be profitably treated at a return of 2d per cubic yard. There is indeed an incalculable amount of material in the terraces and river beds of Central Otago which will give a far richer yield than this. The first thing needful is that prospecting shall be undertakes, not in the desultory fashion that has prevailed hitherto, but with less magnificent ideas and upon better scientific principles. Several of the appliances which Mr Ashcroft recommends to the attention of young mechanics as likely to render the work of prospecting more systematic and exhaustive are well worchy of attention, and his hints to alluvial prospectors also have practical value. If this lectnre succeeds in dispersing a little of the languor that has enfeebled mining enterprise of late years, and in teaching people how much there is yet to be done upon our goldfields by keen intelligence and steadfast labour, Mr Ashcroft will have done good service.