MINING.

Otago Witness, Issue 1898, 19 June 1890, Page 13

MINING.

THE PUHIPUHI SILVER LEASE.

With regard to the silver mines of Puhipuhi (writes our Auckland correspondent, on the 9th inst) I returned satisfied that it was not, as the phrase goes, " another Whangarei swindle." A good deal of work has been done in prospecting, and whatever the result the residents of the district have spent their own hard-earned money, and endured great hardships in exploring and testing the resources of the field. Reefs are to be found anywhere and everywhere, but the inaccessible character of the country has hitherto precluded getting out stuff in bulk in order to give a commercial test. As steps are now being taken to pack out 10 tons for treatment at Auckland or the Thames, the public are not likely to remain long in ignorance of the real merits of the field as regards silver mining. One thing seemed to me tolerably clear, and that is that the ores can only be worked profitably by a large syndicate, operating on an extensive area of ground, with the latest and most improved appliances. The working 1 of claims by working miners who are destitute of the means of erecting a milling plant, can only end in disappointment and disaster to all concerned. In the meantime the Whangarei people are cheerfully paying calls on their interests in the respective mines, being well aware that if the field turns out right it will give the district a measure of prosperity hitherto unattained. Owing to the state of the roads and difficulty of packing up supplies, the warden has granted protection to a number of the mines for the next two months, which will tide the miners over the worst of the winter.