GOLD REEF DISCOVERED

Taranaki Daily News, 1 August 1931, Page 5

GOLD REEF DISCOVERED

MAORI PARTY’S SUCCESS ■ OLiD WORKING NEAR THAMES Thames, July S®. A party of Maoris working near Tapa yesterday made an encouraging find ®f gold. , ■ ■. • , \- The party, which has been working about the Black Swan claim, made several attempts to follow ■ a 2ft leader which had been previously worked, but in each case lost the run and the men were bn the point of ceasing work when they decided to consult an experienced miner, Mr. McDonald, who was driving on the old Royal claim close by. As the result of his advice, a start was made some distance up the hill the previous workings, and soon after operations had commenced, the cap of the reef was found and a sackful of good stone This was taken to Mr. McDonald’s plant and returned more than half an ounce to the dish. The party was later successful in driving and locating the reef, which, is about 4ft wide, and in the course of a short distance it showed every sign of functioning with the old Fluke reef, which yielded a good return when worked over 30 years ago. The present stone is carrying excellent values all along. A syndicate was formed in Thames yesterday and an offer made to the Maoris of - either a sale or the provision of capital, but the Maoris decided to continue until they had proved the values. V'• ’ ■ . ' ' Specimens of the stone seen in Thames were described as very promising.