Notes from Grey Valley (W.C).

Otago Witness, Issue 2433, 31 October 1900, Page 20

Notes from Grey Valley (W.C).

iFbom Our Own Cobhespondent.) AHAUBA.

October 25. — We have had very favourable veather this spring so far. The season appears 'ia be slightly more forward than usual. There has been a considerable amount oi dry weather all over the Coast during the last two or three months, and it has been naost favourable for settlers getting in their seed, etc. However, at present the weather seems to be rather more changeable and showery. The late dry weather lias been taken advantage of by the local farmers to get m their oat crops. -Most of the land under cultivation is being devoted to oat-grow-ing, this being one of the chief crops on the Coast. Stock appears to be scarce, or at least one would think so judging by the high prices paid for beef and mutton all over the Coast, and many of the butchers are having rather a liard time, as their x^ofits must be email, notVfichatanding tlie high prices they are selling at. MINING. Mining matters al- over are 'very chill. Whatever the returns from the Grey River Company's dredge are going to be is, of course, hard to tell, but fchei'e is one thing certain, the majority of tha people throughout the Grey Valley aro disappointed, for they expected much larger returns. It we>s anticipated some months ago that as sooii aa the^Gxey Ltiver Di edging Company's dredge coiruneucocl operations the then hau-moribu-ad dredging boom, would be livened

I up again, and that everything woiild quickly be astir once more ; but no, that glorious boom is more dead now than over. Shareholders and others interested in the , Grey dredge appear to have wonderful confidence in their claim. And why should they' not ? The dredge -has only started a few weeks, and tho returns, although not big, may be considered very good for a start. Indeed, so far as i can gathei, it will be two or three months yet before aay big returns can be expected from this dredge. There is one thing encouraging, and that is, that the claim is being worked systematically. It appears that the management has deemed it advisable to take the claim in a face, and so far has made no attempt to ?hift ?bout the claim seeking the best ground, and it is to be hoped in the interests of shareholder that such a course will never be adopted, for the claim has been well prospected, and proved beyond doubt to be a payable one, and eventually dividends will be forthcoming. It is merely a matter of time. The Waipuna Company's dredge, which has been woiking some weeks now, has up to the present given a very poor account of herself, i Her returns- so far are nothing to what might have been expected. The ground where this dredge commenced operations was considered to be good. Indeed, when visiting .this part of the Valley some months ago I was shown some excellent prospects taken from a beach within a couple of chains from where the dredge is now working. The claim is, a shallow one, and is apparently easily worked. i It has been the opinion of a good many people who were acquainted with the Upper Grey that the whole of the auriferous gravel, which is spread for a considerable width over the Waipuna claim, would pay handsomely for di edging ; but, so far, these great beds of drift do not seem to contain such a large percentage of gold as was thought, as is demonstrated by the recent returns fiom the Waipuna dredge.. Another thing which, from a miner's point of view, appears to be nearer the mark, is that there is one, or probably more, confined leads lunmsng through the Waipuna and other claims in that neighbourhood, and it is the general opinion amongst the old miners that if such leads do exist they will prove immensely rich in gold, as some very handsome patches are. ! said to have been ob+ained by miners in the I early days on different parts of the Upper i Grey. Up to the present, the Waipuna dredge, -so far as I can, gather, has found no signs of a confined lead ; therefore, it can be hardly expected that her returns can be big. However, it will probably take some considerable time yet before the fact will be proved whether leads do exist on k the Waipuna Company's claim or not. A cut will have to be taken right across ilie cloim before it can bt said that j leads exist or do not exis'.. t However, although the great dredging boom j has quietened down to a mere flicker, dredging ; matters do not look so bad. Indeed, quite the J I reverse. Everything in that particular line of i mining look& very promising. Nurneious claims ', have been thoroughly tested as to lheir value ■ hi diffeient parts of the Grey Valley, and now pontoons are being built almost everywhere, and machinery is arriving in large quantities every week. Like everything else, it will take time to properly develop this important industry on the West Coast, and there is not the slightest doubt that eventually the time will come when the plucky speculators who have invested their capital in West Coast dredging will be handsomely lewarded.