Notes from Wakatipu. (From Our Own Correspondent.)

Otago Witness, Issue 2401, 8 March 1900, Page 20

Notes from Wakatipu. (From Our Own Correspondent.)

ARBOWTOWjST, March 3.— The clean-up at ' the G-leniook mine, Macetown, for February, 91oz 11 dm llgr, from 127 tons of quartz, shows that the gold siill continues at an encouraging rate per ton. For some time past the stone has acun small, and had much broken up at that, in consequence of which the output of quartz has fallen below the average. ' It is therefore highly giatifying to heaa- the manager, Mr W. Pation, stating that there are indications of improvement, and thai hopes of ! a, better output for next month are justified.

As remarked m my last and several previous notes marking out dredging claims still continues. Notably is this case at Cardrona, and in so face as the marking out is confined to what is really the Cardrona Valley, there is at least a reasonable show of success. But when it comes to the portion where the valley opens on the Pembroke and Mount Barker flats, the case is totally different. These flats ' are filled up portions of Lake Wanaka, and though the possibility of their containing payable leads ol gold is favourable, nothing what- | ever is known of the existence of such leads, j It is, .however, safe to "say that the whole of these flats, as they are marked cut, are .not auri- i ferous an a degree to ensure infallible succe&s. Much careful snd honest prospecting is necessary to ascertain the value of these claims as dredging ground.

Speaking of this portion ol the Ctutha Valley, for in point of fact Pembroke and Mount Barker flats are parts of the Clulha and not of the Cardrona Valley, it may be pointed out that all the prospecting that has been done — and I believe I am within the mark when I say there have been at one time and another a dozen dredges at work upon the river — has proved that gold is present in such quantities as to pay very fair interest — say flora 20 per cent, and upwards — when dredged under ordinary circum stances. The chiei reason why the dozen ventures or so spoken of came to grief was the cost of coal. A coal bill of .2100 per mcrth, when in the average run of dredges it is not one quarter that amount, may well be called prohibitive. However, to return to the argument. The Clutha River having proved auriferous to the extent indicated, it may be accepted that the valley, some 35 miles long, by from three to seven miles wide, contains leads of gold that are well worth while to look after. But the prospecting is a big contract, too big for private efforts, or even for uublic enterprise. The possibilities of tho Clutha Valley are so big an item in the assets of tho colony that the Government may well be urged to take tho prospecting in hand. The advantages of tho Government doing the work are — First, reliability as to the results obtained, which in private enterprise is alwsys an uncertain quantity; next, there is guaranty of the systematic execution of the work, which can scarcely be hoped for in any other way; and last, though not least, the unreserved publication of the results obtained. In case these prove satisfactory the coal question would be easy of solution. There should then be nothing to "prevent that portion of the Otago Central lying between Cromwell and Gladstone, Lake Hawea, or say Tarras, to be gone on with, as the coal required would alone pay more than the working expenses and interest on the capital.