MINING.

West Coast Times, Issue 944, 1 October 1868, Page 3 (Supplement)

MINING.

Since our last summary was published there has been a marked improvement in the aspect of mining affairs, not only in the County itself but on the whole of the West Coast. New discoveries have been made in many of the old established workings, and also in localities previously untried. The exodus which at one time threatened to take place from our shores to Auckland has been averted. The exaggerated reports published in the Auckland journals had not so much effect as we had imagined. This, we have no doubt, was partly caused by the distrust entertained by miners of glowing accounts from fields which are not tested, aud partly by the severe lesson given by Gympie Creek. Nothing is now heard about Gympie, so we must conclude that it has entirely dropped out of notice. The mining population of Westland is ab ut stationary at the present time, the arrivals counterbalancing the departures. This presages well, and when taken into consideration that the majority of those who are now arriving are old "West Coa>t miners, it cannot be denied that Westland at the present time offers more inducements to miners than any other goldfieds country.

There is another great improvement to note, viz., the increased investment of capital in mining enterprise. This one fact of itself shows that Westland is not a decaying goldfield, — as its detractors assert it is — but a goldlicld win h has not yet been properly worked, but merely scratched over, and that portions of the precious metal which was easily got at extracted. When any difficulties however presented themselves it must be confessed that up to the present time there has not been a sufficiency of speculative spirit to induce capitalis sto procure machinery. We do not mean to say that there was a total absence of this spirit of enterprise, for in many cases we could mention- has expensive machinery be n brought into the tVestland goldfields, aud men spent long months patiently working in difficult ground for the purpose o£ unearthing the precious metal which they had reason to believe existed in payable quantities in their claims. But there has not been a general feeling of enterprise. Now, however, the distracting influences of rushes! to other colonies, which have for the past three years rendered capitalists rather shy of going into speculations in mining, seem to have passed away, and consequently, as a feeling of confidence in the permanent nature of the diggings seem to be engendered, and movements are now on foot", which, if carried out, will exercise a powerful influence in developing the resources of the country, and rescuing Westland from its present depressed state. The most important undertaking which is at present on the tapis is the proposed water-race from Like Kanieri to the Blue Spur. The line of this race has been applied for, and a lease obtained for the country through which it will pass. At present we cannot enter into full details on this.subject, as the project has not yet been properly launciied, but will confine our remarks upon it by stating that should it be brought to a successful issue the Kanieri district will be raised to a condition of prosperity it has not known since the palmy days of its first discover}-. This race, besides opening up the back country, will, when brought in on the proposed scale, carry water sufficient to employ fully 1,000 men in sluicing on the various terraces it will command Its estimated cost is from £10,000 to £12,000, but of course until the surveyors give in their plans and specifications, this is merely an approximation. Many other undertakings of lesser magnitude are now spoken of for the same purpose — of developing the auriferous resources of the country, but as yet they are all in embryo', and it will take some time before the majority of them are sufficiently matured to allow reports of them. One oi the most important questions, now that machinery has been called into operation to work the auriferous fields of Westtand, is, whether miners, who?c claims are drained by appliances beldnging to other parties, should be compelled by law to contribute to the owners of such appliances, or whether the matter should be left to be settled in the best wwar} r possible by the parties interested. Time after time has this question been agitated in Ross, but now it is in a fair way of being settled, as in consequence of a dead-lock occurring between the proprietors of the Honing Star and Scandinavian engine companies, a dead-lock ensued, and the engines were stopped. A public meeting of the inhabitants was called, and Mr Cassius, the delegate appointed to proceed to Wellington to confer with the Westland members on the financial adjustment scheme, was entrusted with a commission to bring the question under the notice of the gold-fields member, with the view of getting an Act passed by the General Assembly to compel claimholders benefited by the operations of neighboring parties to contribute an equitable amount to such parties. Reports from the various gold-fields in the country will be found below.