THE MINING INDUSTRY.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1215, 20 January 1886, Page 3

THE MINING INDUSTRY.

In the course of his address to his constituents at South Dunedin on Saturday evening, the Hon. Mr Larnach (Minister of Mines) thus mnde reference to the mining industry :—: — The Colony needed to be more liberal in giving assistance to the mining industry in the direction of giving extra water-power. Many districts where the lands were what might be termed poorly auriferous when worked under the old cradle or long-torn system, would seem to be richly auriferous if sufficient water could be brought to bear on the face of a hill or terrace and a great quantity of stuff put through in a day. Hh was convinced that there was a great quantity of land, in Otago and Southland particularly, that would pay handsomely if only there was water-power directed to sluice the hills or terraces. It had been his object to get as much assistance as possible from Parliament to help to forward the mining industry, but there were some members who looked upon every penny, not to say pound, that was spent in tbe direction of mining as worse than thrown into the sea. Miners he regarded as the best and most intelligent class of men in the Colony ; they were most persevering; nothing seemed to daunt them ; and he believed thai assistance iven to them at the proper time and in the right direction would do very much to heip us in these depressed times. They wou'd see that the Government bad been doing all they could in this way, having employed all the means placed at their disposal for th<* development of our mining resources. They had lately been successful, thanks to the Native Minister, in getting prospecting parties in the King Country, and he hoped they would have favorable repor's before very long of discoveries made there. If a discovery of alluvial gold took place there he need not tell them that from the extent of the unknown territory there it would do much to induce people to come from the other Colonies and from all parts of the world to New Zealand, A little in the way of prospecting was also being done in our own direction. During the last fortnight he had provided four or five parties with equipments to go prospecting "into the country, and he believed, at least he hoped, that some good results would come from this, for it was only by giving assistance at proper times that they could expect to have the hiddeu mineral treasures discovered. He did not wish to speak disrespectfully of previous Governments, but there was no doubt of this : that no Go\«rpments before the present one had really done anything directly to assist the mining industry, for althougu a good deal of money had been spent it had always been hung on to some other department. The mining industry was a parasite on something else — it nevsr had a home of its own. But with the email means at the disposal of the present Government, they had tried to make those who followed mining as a profession and an occupation feel that the State took some interest in them, and he intended, so long as he held his present office, to endeavour to do his very vi most to get further assistance to develop the mineral resources of the Colony.