SEARCH FOR GOLD

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume XXIX, Issue 8301, 23 April 1932, Page 3

SEARCH FOR GOLD

ACTIVITIES ABOUT MURCHISON MANY PROSPECTORS OUT ENCOURAGING RESULTS (Special Correspondent) NELSON, April 18. At the present time there is much activity in gold prospecting in the Murchison district, which in past years yielded large quantities. Under the unemployment scheme whicL allows gold prospectors a subsidy of 15s a week hundreds of unemployed throughout New Zealand have quit the towns to engage in the. search for gold, and a large number have found their way to the Murchison t’ist; ict. Mr H. J. Stewart, chairman of the Murchison County Council, who spent some time on the Klondyke at the time of the rush there many years ago, to-day gave an indication of what was being done. In the Mangles Valley a good deal of mining was going oa, he said, and there were 85 men in the Howard field. Recently several nuggets were found, the heaviest weighing soz. The two best were sold for £35. It was rather peculiar that the nuggets were found in clay.

PROSPECTS AT MATAKITAKI

A block of 400 acres at the head of the Matakitaki foothills in the Spencer range had been staked out. Indications of the presence of gold in this locality so far has been good. The discovery of this field was the direct result of the Government subsidy. Years ago dredges on the Matakitaki River obtained good results, and it was reported that in all possibility dredging would be recommenced. The whole of the river from the bridge on the West Coast main highway to the headwaters had been pegged out. Gold had also been discovered on the Shenandoah, in which locality a road was being opened up by the Public Works Department, running from mid-Maruia towards the Upper Maruia, and cutting off the Maruia saddle. A number of old workings had been gone over, and those engaged were making a reasonable thing. Very few of them were making less than 30s a week (including the subsidy); while some were doing far better. LACK OP EXPERIENCE Naturally many of the prospectors were inexperienced, and had little knowledge of the best method to go about their work. There was a number of old miners in the district, who had given up active work owing to old age, and he would like to see them paid a reasonable wage to take out parties and indicate likely spots where gold might be found and give practical information as to the system of going about the work. Furthermore, they could stop a lot of dead work which “new chums” would do.

Quite a number of men from other parts of the Dominion were finding their way to the Murchison district. There' were several from Auckland, and a number from Wellington and Christchurch.

At the next meeting of the Warden’s Court there would be applications for about 3000 acres of prospecting licenses. A considerable amount of the area was going to be •worked by a British syndicate in mid-Maruia practically virgin ground. GOOD WORK BEING DONE

Mr Stewart stated that the Unemployment Committee at Murchison had sent out a number of men who were doing good work and were obtaining a . considerable amount of gold. The gold output going through the, bank had increased threefold since the scheme commenced about three months ago. Constant applications were being received for the subsidy. “The psychological efiect on the men thus employed.” commented Mr Stewart, “is rather wonderful. The minute they start on this sort of thing they get quite keen, and instead of loafing about when they come into town for stores they are anxious to get back to their claims. Work, added Mr Stewart, helped a man to retain his self-respect, and there was ample evidence of the great desire of the big majority of, the men to keep going, even if they made only their “tucker.” The thing that struck him most forcibly was the retention of their self-respect. The boom in gold mining was reflected in the farming community, apd there was an air of optimism in the district.