GOLD IN SOUTH ISLAND

Taranaki Daily News, 24 January 1933, Page 7

GOLD IN SOUTH ISLAND

MANY PROMISING PROSPECTS. DEPARTMENTAL HEAD PLEASED/. ? Very pleased with all he had seen and full of confidence in regard to the ultimate yield of the field, Mr. A. H. Kimbell, permanent head of the Mines Department, who has been inspecting the Golden Hope goldfield in the Upper Buller district, in company with the Hon, Mark Fagan, M.L.C., and Messrs. E.J. Scobell, inspector of mines, and A. J. Walker, departmental mining engineer, returned to Blenheim last week. He stated that he was delighted with the devel nental work which had been carried out and he was advised that the prospects were excellent.On the field, which embraced the Maggie and Maude Creeks—tributaries of the Howard—there were in all about ,120 men at' work, and they had with them, some eight women and 12 children. Steps were being taken to improve the access, which/was over very rough country, and it was also likely that a further 24 men would soon be drafted on to the Maggie Creek. ‘ • Mr. Kimbell added that, including the upper Matakitaki and the Murchison districts, there were now well over 400 men engaged in mining. The December yield of gold sold at Murchison was a record, though the mouth was a short one. Mr. Fagan said that some of the miners were getting fair gold, some a little gold; some, of course, were getting none, but all were satisfied and patient. The men, he said were of a fine type, physically, as was demonstrated by the fact that they met one Irishman who had humped a 1001 b pack five miles up a rough and steep riverbed. Arrangements had been 1 made with the Public Works Department to spent £250 on a track up the Maude from McCusker’s to the upper claims, ' with a further track from the Maude to. the Maggie. The unemployed diggers would assist in the work. / A warning was issued by Mr. Fagan to would-be prospectors that the whole of the Maude Creek from McCusker’s to Deadman’s Creek, had been pegged, and there was no room for anyone along that stream. There was some room bn the Maggie, but 24 men were being drafted in there at once. In addition to the 120 men on these two creeks there were over 70 on the Louie Creek, which was outside the Government scheme. ,