OTAGO v. MELBOURNE

Wellington Independent, Volume XVI, Issue 1699, 11 February 1862, Page 3

OTAGO v. MELBOURNE

The accounts from Otago are still satisfactory. "If so," we hear some of our readers say, "how is it that while numbers are arriving, numbers are constantly leaving : how is it that within the last few days we have seen two vessels enter our own harbour with diggers, who have been tempted to leave Otago for the uncertainties of the Aucklaud field at Corom aud cl — about which there is nothing more satisfactory than there is about Terawitti ?" To which [we reply, that there never was a gold field yet but what proved barren to many employed on it ; there never was a gold field yet which could hold even fortunate diggers when the cry of " rusb, oh" was raised, though it might only be in favor of au untried field ; and there never was a class of

people, anywhere, more given to roving and more unsettled than is that of the regular digger. The latest Witness (Ist Febiuary) in noticing the Escort return for that week, no doubt correctly acoounls for its comparative smallness by the loss of time occasioned by "rushing." The usual weekly Escort arrived on Thursday afternoon, bringing down 10,310 ounces of gold, of which 1,587 ozs. 15 dwts. was from Waitabuna, and 8,722 ozs. 5 dwts. from Tua- [ peka. This is less than former escorts, but not ' less than was toibe anticipated — considering tbe disturbance of industry caused by tbelate rushes to Waipori and elsewhere. It is satisfactory to find that the Waipori field is beginning to make a return for the labour expended on it. On Thursday evening the first parcel of gold from the Waipori reached Dunedin in tbe charge of Constable Garvey. The quantity was 1080 ounces, wbicb, added to tbe quantity received from the older gold fields, biings tbe total escoit for the week to 11,390 ounces-

Gabriel's gully fTuapeka) still continues the principal field, and, because it does so, croakers prophesy the diggings will soon be worked out. Though the principal, it is not the only field that is likely to support a large population. It is said that if the size of the claims were increased, Waitahuna and Weatherstone Flats would soon prove their richness. M A miner of ten years experience, who for the last eight years has worked only at touring and sluicing" vouches that these flats would give employment to at least 20,000 men, at from half to one ounce per man, if the size of the claims were made equal to those in Victoria — that is, sufficiently large to warrant the spending of four or five weeks in opening them up.

For the details of tbe news from Otago we refer to our intelligence columns ; but to comprehend the real value of the Otago diggings, we ask our readers not to be influenced by the news of any one mail. If they will well consider the following comparative notes, extracted from a letter receiced by the last mail from Melbourne, they will be able to arrive at a really sound conclusion —

Comparison between the first six months supply of gold in Neio Zealand, 1861, and Victoria, 1851-2.

209096 From the above table it appears that tbe production of gold ia New Zealand in the first six months from the first discovery, has been about the-sameasin Viotoria in the same early period. In Victoria the average continued about the same during the next three mouths, namely

Population then began to set in rapidly from the other colonies — from January to August, 1855, rather over 14000 people arrived from Tasmania. In Juue, the quantity nearly doubled tbe average of tbe previous three months, and the following are the monthly quantities, up to tbe end of the year. June v. 115426 July 309599 August ,„. ,„,„,„„..,..» 308601

September 302050 October 277535 November 275324 December..., 140671 The average production of New Zealand for the last 8 weeks, of which, I have received particulars, is 17,169 ozs. weekly, i The average production of Victoria, in 1861, is 35,667 ounces weekly— or, rather more than double that of New Zealand. According to the mining Surveyor's reports, the Melbourne total gold fields population is 234,000, of whom 103,000 are engaged in mining. Bui, I believe this must be erroneous as it would only give £1 ss. lOd. per week per head, for all persons, including capitalists and laborers.

In order to make the above complete, we would remark that the population of Otago at the time that gold was discovered there, was about 15,000 and is now about 30,000 (the census last December showing a digging population of 11,435 exclusive of 4,000 on the " rush") . At the time gold was discovered in Victoria in 1851, it wa» about 85,000 ; the population of Victoria was consequently even at the time gold was discovered three times greater than the population of Otago is now, and we may, therefore, well ask, what would be the yield of gold at Otago, had it even now such a population as Victoria had at the time gold was discovered there.

HEW ZEALAND. OZS. MONTH. July 72th 500 500 August Ist ... 2000 " 21st 5056 7056 Sept 3rd 7759 " 18tb 11281 19040 Oct. 4th 12482 " 18th 15400 27882 * Nov. Ist 19700 " 14th...... 35100 " 21st 20090 " 28th 17580 92470 Dec. sth 14535 " 12th 16141 " 19th...... 14207 44883 191831 Estimate for the Escort of 26 Dec. 16000 207831 VICTORIA.. Ist month, Sept. 1851 ......... 121 2nd " Oct. " 4618 3rd " Nov. " 27265 4th " Dec. " ......... 72150 sth " Jan. 1852 51801 6th v Feb, " ......... 53141

1852. ozs. 7th month, March 59176 Blh " April 61768 9th " May 69537