THE CENTRAL, OTAGO GOLDFIELDS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2785, 31 July 1907, Page 28

THE CENTRAL, OTAGO GOLDFIELDS.

OLD AUiUVIAI* FIELDS PEGGED OFF* TO WORK DEEPER LEVELS. THE PROSPECXIirC^ Of* OLD AOT3 THEM AURIFEROT7S AREAS. PRESSING NEED FOR GOVERNMENT AID. An old alluvial goldneld, th« discovery of which took place at a period known ac " he old digging days" of the early sixties, has just lately been repegged by two enterprising mining parties, with the object of working the deeper levels by elevating. The «wo claims applied for occupy an are* of about . 100 acres each, and lie tftxee miles southwest of the township of Cambzadn, and between ife and Ma-takanui. They ace in thafi long line of quartz drifts which extends from Surface Hill, St. Bathane. along the base of the Dunstan Range almost to Clyde — the cl<i Kildare claim, the Mountain and Enterprise, the Vinegar HilL and other rich deposits a« Matakanui all being: portion* of the sam» series. In the early days referred to the surface portion had been worked by the primitiv* methods then in vogue, and good returns obtained. Messrs Murdoch and party, besides a number of Chinese, reaped good ha-rvestsv As they had no appliances suitable for carrying on their work at deeper levels— in other words, opening- up the deeper ground b» hydrau'ic sluicing— the claims were abandoned, and became included in the preemptive pastoral right of Meswa Rose and Glendining. A change- of title of this, area having now taken place through its being lately opened up by the Gxrwrnment for leasehold settlement, permits of rto berng; applied for for mining purposes under to* Mining Act of 1903. The parties who- have taken up the two- special claims in this ar«« belong to the district, and are prepare* to operate upon, the deeper strata and tes# the field with the latest appliances- for e.evai» ing. It is confidently expected, in. the district that they will meet wilfc deserved success. A not inconsiderable portion of the water required for the elevating plant can he lifted from a creek called the Three-mile, which) flows past these properties. B«sid«e this supply, the ground is commanded, by som« ©£ the best water rights from, the Dunstan Creek and other sources. A go«d water supply ia absolute'.y necessary to success in these claims, as the intention of the prospecting parties is to work to considerable depth. The future of the enterprise is very promising, as the ground shows all the usual indie** tions of the existence of rich gold-bearing strata underneath. These comprise tn« chloiites (decomposed), the rounded quart*,

the ailicious and pipeclay layers, the yellow «bou!ders, and the constant lignites. OTHER UNDEVELOPED FIELDS. It is quite probable that along this extensive line of drifts above mentioned many such undeveloped fields await the prospector. By the enterprise and perseverance of the mining companies of Central Otago we are enabled to establish the fact that " the greater ihe, depth reached the richer becomeß the gold-bearing layers." In an article published •an our columns about a fortnight ago Mar -Neil Nicolson, the successful manager of the Scandinavian Water Race Company, testified To this in connection with the claims under his supervision ; therefore there is little doubt £ha* the same applies to all those auriferous .(deposits either being or to be opened up in this old "granite" formation. It may just here be fittingly remarked that to the mining companies of- Central Otago and to the capable management of modern appliances is due no .small praise for keeping for many years- the Tni-ning industry afloat. It was _ they who succeeded the old pioneer parties, and gave employment to many of these afterwards in the construction of costly water races and as employees in their claims "when the limited means of such men were not sufficient to work the deeper levels pay•ably, fox alluvial mining bed reached that Utage at which large capital w&s required. It may be argued by some pessimists that these companies were merely speculators, who launched out their each for personal gain. ,jNb doubt they risked for purposes of gain, ~sut their ventures had also the attendant good' result of preventing alluvial mining from retrograding into absolute decay. The companies fostered the industry — an industry so important nowadays that it is considered by those capable of judging to be second to none in the colony. Yet is still languishes for lack of Government aid on a satisfactory basis. «*. For the past quarter ofl^^pentury in tho "Working of the gold mintflr'Central Otago the Gorernment must be creaited with giving (spasmodic assistance on pressure being brought to bear. It has granted eubsidies for the maintenance of sludge channels, expended sums in the construction or the purchase of water races, and even granted small prospecting votes through the county councils; yet there still remain pressing needs. It must, therefore, be eomewhwt gratifying to the mining community of the district, and to all who have the welfare of Central Otago «t heart, to note that the Mines Begftrtroent at last intends to take practical steps in £he matter of placing alluvial mining on a better Sooting. Boring rods are to be brought into operation to test old workings at deeper levels and to prospect new ground., and the importance of this latter is beyond question. Pot example, it encourages skilled miners to pursue a vocation which "in many instances tshey have had to abandon for look of meoc« nnd in order to follow other" occupations. It «. belp3 to keep miners in the mining townships, and attracts others io join them. But, to give • permanent filip to the development of our Hidden mineral wealth, a much greater expenditure- on ' the part of Government than that allotted for boring-rod tests is p necessary, and tbat is for water conservation. This factor will involve a large outlay, and an indispensable one, and no doubt the Mines and Public Works Departments will in the Bear future devise some workable scheme of water storage whilst prospecting is in progress, end place on the Estimates annually sum to be set apart for this specific purpose — such a vote as will satisfactorily meet a- practical and systematic development of these goldfields. and thus make them a highly reproductive asset to the district and to the colony.