Mr Ashcroft and New Rushes, &c.

Otago Witness, Issue 1957, 23 May 1889, Page 11

Mr Ashcroft and New Rushes, &c.

Editor Witness,— Sir : As a gold miner I was rather starred when perusing Mr Ashcroft's letter in the- Witness of April 25 when I came to the part wherein he expresses a hope that the period of new rushes is over, because they are attended by severe raactinns. I sincerely trust Mr AshcrofVs hopes w;ll be often blasted in regard to new rushes, as a new rush simply means a new goldfield. Allthegoldfields in the colonies had their origin in, a new rush. As for the re? actions, I am sure that I have had more practical experience of getting gold in the colonies than Mr Ashcroft, and yet I have never seen any sfivere reaction after a new rush. Sam Perkins' rash to the Blue Mountains was th« only duffer rush in Otago ; and the Mount Hope rush ia Victoria was the only legitimate duffer rush in that colony. All the other auhhes have resulted in goldfields of greater or lessextent bningopened out, and consequently the most needful article of modern use being put into 'extensive ciroulatlon« Gold would lie quietly covered up as iongia the future as it has done in the past if ascienfcisfc was depended on to be the prospector. Prospectors are not so plentiful as they were in the early ''■ years—in fact, the tbwn hardy prospecting -gold miners are either uuder the sod or past the. time (if life to allow them to become explorers, in search of gold. Looking for new waterfalls and lakes is hardly in their line. SfciM, 1 hppa, the days of new rushes are not pas.fr yet, an<\

that prospeofora will crop tup now and then with *ew discoveries to Create new .rushos,' and, chance th^ severe reactions which Mr, Aehcrof t i writes so Iheoratjcally about. Labour ipd ©*«' dinary intelligence have unearthed, a large , amount of gold in the past, and no doubt will do ; «oin the future. , The .existence of gold has toW llocated before science' does,. any thing, towards jpro&icmg any. No one can gainsay the benefits 'thai; scientific chemistry confers fen gold, mining, feat gold miners suffer a good deal from un-,; 'scientific legislation,,, A lit.tle, ssienca 'brought . to boar on the value of ground, would do, more , good than a shipload of scientific theories,' The I gqldmiuurs of Ofcago have been, scientifically,, plundered of considerably' over a, miilioa « of money, out of the value of the, gold "produced in Ofcago. In . sonolusion,,, 5 beg , to draw the attention ', t>f j all gold, sniaers— -and others .interested, in. mining-r-4j> 4lie speech of Mr Joha fSagle, mining representative, pf v St. Bath&ns at ,tbe Mining) Con-, ference-held at the DuDstau, a report, of which, appears in the Witness of April 25, the 'subjects' dealt with in, which are gold duty, vaUi.e of gold> goldfields county expenditure, ., and other, mattero. Mr Eagle holds the righjb fcieWfl on fche subjects on which he treats, aod'jfchey qanra'ot be refuted in any posß^bltt, way, Mr Eagle's speech is not 'a ssiuntific oiie-^but it, is; better tbau that, it is a practical,, logical, lecture .about what will increase thus production o£ gold, and benefit justly thfi gold mining industry' of New Zealand. — Yours, &c., Andrew G. Nicol. , Grey V»]h- Si Qceymouth, May 8, , '.