OUR WEST COAST LETTER. (From Our Own Correspondent.) Hokitika, May 13. WESTLAND MINING MATTERS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2203, 21 May 1896, Page 19

OUR WEST COAST LETTER. (From Our Own Correspondent.) Hokitika, May 13. WESTLAND MINING MATTERS.

Following up his Bucces3es at Heefton and elsewhere, Mr David .Ziman is negotiating for the purchase of miny of the mining properties bnving fair records throughout "the Weatland goldfielda. Yestenlay he was completing that, of the Humphrey's Gully Gold-mining Company's exten^iye sluicing area of 500 acres, and ere this reaches you B I apprehend the bargain will have been sealed, as at the time of writing the shareholders wt-re willing to sell at the offered price. The other pioperues under offer -to this representative of the bi<: Laudon syndicate are the Gra.en3tone sluicing claims, the quartz reef 3at Cedar Creek (Rots), Mr Zala's new quartz find at Grazer PeaTr, which ho has well proved in IGOOft of rock low, level tunnel, and others. Following in its turn comes the Ross United Company's fine properly, wlu-;h should Mr 2iman buy he will gecut c for bis prin <ipals one of the best ventures in the whole of the colony, for there are some 200 acres of auriferous g ound hugging those terraces' which made Eo3B famous in the halcyon days, prdtty well proved to hold almost fabulous wealth. When last mining a small portion of this deep lead, and jtibt prior to ' the water ovejpjvve v ing the mactuaeiy, I am told on reliable authority that as much as 2J-oz of gold was taken from the last sette of timber, the cubical contents wheredf .were 51ft, and only a very small area of the gf^nd was mined.' More than that, the wasn -wan never bottomed, although nine layers -of- -golden drift were pasted through. 'Mr Zhnan- is now gathering all reliable data ere out in this direction, but he will inquire to look lively, , as I heir another syndicate have eot tbeir eye on it, the added temptation of £10,000 as a Government .subsidy proving an alluring 'bait to the "mining speculative worid In general. MISCKI-LANEOUS ITEMS. The importance of Kumara has so increased that the folks there demanded higher education for their ofifcpi iog, but the Westland Education , Board refused to give them a high school. There is a howl agaiust somebody by everybody because by the Grifton (U.S.S ) there came to Greymr>uth last Monday 21 Chinamen to mine on the Wtst Coa-t. Since December laat the Mont dOr Goldmining Company has paid five single shilling dividends, representing a total value of profit to the chareholders of £3000. The Reefton Electrical Lighting Company has declared a dividend of 5s per share.