AND GOLDFIELDS REPORTER AND ADVERTISER. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 1885. "MEASURES, NOT MEN."

Tuapeka Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1124, 4 March 1885, Page 2

AND GOLDFIELDS REPORTER AND ADVERTISER. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 1885. "MEASURES, NOT MEN."

If we accept as an axiom the proposi tionthat " whatever' ia ia right," we must; be satisfied with the present political situation. The affairs of the Colony are in the hands of a Coalition Ministry, whose only leading principle would appear to be that it is for the benefit of the country that they should retain office. To this object individual members of the Government are will, ing to sacrifice, in the most patriotic manner, their cherished opinions and allow their most vigorous protestations to lie dormant. We are by no means inclined to think that apprehensions need reasonably be felt as to the material consequences of such an Administration, although purists may consider that representative institutions are in a measure degraded. A policy framed with the view of Ministerial self-preser-vation is likely enough to be consonant with the tone of public sentiment upon important questions, and is pretty sure to be exceedingly cautious. In regard to finance, the danger lies in the probability of an expenditure beyond what can be legitimately provided for. A Coalition Government requires a good deal of grease to keep the machinery going, and, to maintain a majority in

the House of Bepreientati.ves, has to please a good many honorable members in ways that go direct to the hearts of their constituents. In this instance the Cabinet is dominated by a master mind, which may;be expected to prevent such displays bf>'itnbecile indetermination as might otherwise be anticipated. Sir Julius Yogel is practically the Govern ment, and may be depended upon to have his own way as to all matters which are, in his eyes, essential. Unfortunately there are questions of great gravity in the best interests of the people about which he cares little or nothing, and may consequently allow bis Radical colleagues to " play fantastic tricks." We must, however, give him the credit of great fertility of resource and conspicuous ingenuity in Parliamentary tacticß. No one can with greater success "make the worse appear the better part," and he may very possibly work up' the heterogenous elements at his disposal into something apparently a consistent whole. In a recent article, we commented on the address of Sir Julius at Auckland as represented in the telegraphic summary. The full report published in the local papers is now before us, and enables a more correct judgment to be formed as to the opinions he declared and the character of the future policy indicated. In the first place, it is evident that we must be prepared for proposals next session in the direction of Protection. Sir Julius contends that " the doctrines of Free-trade depend upon conditions altogether unsuitable to a country like 1 this f and although he entirely fails, in a long and labored argument, to substantiate this proposition, there is no doubt as to the strength of his convictions and his determination to force them upon the country. In respect of local government, the Treasurer, like his colleague Mr Stout, is evidently at his wits' end, and having exhausted the intelligence of the Cabinet is now going to convoke a conclave of Mayors and County Chairmen with the avowed pur pose of availing himself of their united wisdom in arriving at a solution of the financial difficulty involved. It hardly requires demonstration that, in a case where the financial ingenuity of Sir Julius Yogel is foundered, it must be a very forlorn hope to consult Mayors and" County Chairmen. The Treasurer is, of course, making game— his own game — of these worthy local magnates, and, in many respects, the move is decidedly a clever one. On the abstract question, Sir Julius expresses himself sensibly enough ; he realises no necessity for a large organic alteration, but believes that what is principally and primarily required is "more certain, larger, and more elastic local revenues, so that local bodies may know wha,t means they have to depend upon and may fashion their works accordingly, instead of depending, as they have been doing for years past, upon what seems tome to have been practically authorised —that is, a system of benrf^^- <**» tributed by the Government or the House according to a more or less arbitrary pleasure or caprice." This is no doubt rery true ; bufc Sir Julius has no remedy to suggest, nor is he able to indicate any means by which" more certain, larger, and more elastic local revenues may be secured to th 9 local bodies." Giving the ratepayers un. limited power to tax themselves is hardly a satisfactory way of bringing about this consummation ; but this is the only idea which has yet emanated from the Government, if the Premier is to be credited with having so far unfolded the embryo scheme, about which Sir Julius was emphatically silent. We wonder it has not suggested itself to his practical mind that the principles of " The Roads and Bridges Construction Act," faithfully carried out, would effect what he declares is requisite ; but then the Ministry must be strong enough to dare to be resolute in the determination under no circumstances to allow one penny to be appropriated outside the provision of the statute.

Any new invention for Baring gold is worth taking notice of by those interested in mining, as the working of deposits, which are at present con sidered not payable, only awaits the invention of improved gold-saving appliances. As mining is at present carried on in this district with crude and somewhat primitive appliances, more gold slips through the miners' fingers than they are able to save. Even where the greatest care is taken the percentage of gold saved is, in many cases, small compared with what is lost. We have a very striking example of how really rich stone might be laid aside as too poor to work in a sample left by Professor Ulrica. By the beßt processes of crushing and amalgamating, half-an-ounce or gold to the ton of stone is barely procurable ; while it has been proved that the stone contains 18 ounces^ of gold to the ton. Of course, this is an exceptional case; but still it forma but a striking example of what is going on all around us, not only in quartzreefs but also in cement and alluvial drift. It is, therefore, gratifying to learn that an experiment tried at Messrs Cox and Clifford's mine at Waipori has been so far successful that 4dwts 7grs of gold to the ton can now be saved from the tail-race — gold which would otherwise be carried away and lost. The appliance whereby this important saving is effected is one of Alves' patent amalgators. The machine is fixed in the tail-race 26ft below , the blanket, tables', . in such a position that all the tailings must pass through it. It is not necessary for us to describe the machine : it is sufficient tc notice that -»■*: has proved effective in saving gold. An extract from a pamphlet which we received from Mr I\ W. Roberta, of the Browns Creek Assaying Department, New South Walei, will bear out our con.

tention :—" At Mitchell's Creek, Bathurit, Morgan and Winter were making some hundreds of pounds per week for a considerable time, but at length the yield fell off, and they at once thought the mine was worked out. It lay idle for some years, when it was taken up by some Sydney speculators, who found that instead of the mine being worked out the failure was owing to the ignorance of those in charge of the machinery. The ores which appeared to be worthless simply passed through the batteries and into tha tailings heap without being in any way reduced in value by the operation." Mr Eoberts provides electrosilrer plates for the batters-tables, which effect a considerable saving over the ordinary copper-plates generally in use. From repeated assays of tailings made, it has been found that a saving of about one pennyweight per ton is effected by the use of these plates; and with these plates above and Alves' amalgamator below, quartzreefs which are considered not payable > may be worked with a profit. The successful introduction of goldsaving appliances is of peculiar interest to miners in this district, as very large areas of auriferous ground, which it will not now pay to Mork, may yet be worked to profitable advantage. The appliances we have referred to are better suited for working quartzreefs, but manifestly, would not be without effect in working cement. What is more needed in this direction, however, is some effective apparatus for crushing the cement rapidly and easily. There is gold-bearing cement enough in the district to keep a respectable mining population fully and profitably employed for many years to come, if only more effectual methods of working it can be arrived at. The man who can solve the problem of how to profitably work the great deposits of cement lying in waiting for inventive enterprise will not only confer a great boon upon the community at large but also enrich himself.