OHINEMURI.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 1934, 16 March 1875, Page 2

OHINEMURI.

To the Editor of the Erening Star. Sik, —At the present time, when speculation is rife as to the probabilities of. the Upper Thames, as a goldfield, proving a duffer, and while the hopeful and despondent are alike giving expression to their ideas upon the subject, it may be well to offer some remjarks suggested by a comprehensive contemplation of the " prospects ". of the field at present. To be over ready to jump at conclusions, on the slightest grounds, and very often upon no grounds at all, is characteristic of a great many persons, and the peculiarities of this class conduce not^ofily to the discomfort of themselves, but, by the force of contagion, work bad effects upon those whuse reason may have held them before in a Heal thy condition of uncertainty until such time as there were sufficient grounds ujion which ,to base a calm and deliberate judgment.. It is to these in> pulsive natures, who condemn the Ohinemuri country because they are not shown prospects that will immediately satisfy their minds, that the present panic, if it may be so termed, is chiefly owing; and I would desire to impress upon all the necessity of -waiting patiently for the issue before forming an opinion one way or the other. By such advice, I do not commit myself to any sentiment in the matter: it is merely the dictate of reason. It is perfectly true, on the one hand, that ' appearances have not been very favorable, so far—that is, in consideration of the reports spread prior to the opening of the field, which led to the belief that much I was to be expected, whereas, up to the present time, little has,. been shown to warrant the circulation of those reports,; but it must be, remembered, on the.otherhand, that the discoverers of jjold at . Ohinemuri have been peculiarly circumstanced, and that, therefore, some latitude should be observed in the consideration of the subject. For the one or two who have led the public to .believe that an El Dorado was awaiting them in the Ohinemuri country, there are the remainder of the bona fide prospectors who have consistently * maintained that their expectations, in respect of their own discoveries, went no further than payable reefs, which would require working to be developed. If the Upper Thames as a goldfield should turn out to be a bubble, it is apprehended that none will be more greviously deceived than tffose same men last mentioned," 'who have spent their time and trouble, and no inconsiderable amount of money in confidence of the result. The party of prospectors to whom the prospecting claim has been awarded, and those, who have amalgamated with them, are giving practical effect to their belief in the genuine nature of their find. A machine- site has been applied for, and the purchase of a plant' is contemplated ; while I understand that it is. intended, immediately to construct a road from? Karangahake to Mackaytbwn^ so that in the meantime quartz may. be conveyed 1 thence to the Thames to be crushed and tested. But. this is not all i the same party of men subscribed £300, I am led to understand, in order to get the 144 acres, surveyed by Mr R. C. Jordan, passed through the- Native Lands CoujMk^ and to secure a title to the ground for.^^^ gold which they believed it to contain; In this attempt, it is known, they failed, . but £200 passed into the hands of the natives interested. The natural, conolu-

sion to be drawn from these facts is, that men would not have acted so withbnt some hope—and- it should, bo a cojtfiden v: i one—of securing a return for their outlay,- „ and a reward for the patience exercised - in waitiDg for the opening of the country/ Taking these circumstances into const- . deration/ and fully; admitting, at the same time, that present prospects do not assume the brightest colors, it must be admitted that to pronounce the field a duffer at this time would' be premature. "These remarks will only refer to those who are on the field or in its vicinity; 'those at a distance, perhaps, would do well to regard Ohihemuri with suspicion until the necessity for doing so does not exist; for; as to-day does not know, wliat to-morrow may bring forth, such suspicion might save poor miners from a distance the trial of a possible disappointment. I trust, however that Fate will prove kinder, and that, in the words of the Warden, when ad- . dressing the prospectors on Saturday last, they will be able to dispel the gloom which is now hanging over the goldfield. As one who has seen something of the country before and since its opening, I. can speak hopefully, if not encouragingly, of the future.—Yours Ac, - Bbkfjb. •: Ohinemuri, Maroh 14. . - . , -