DISCOVERY OF GOLD

Western Star, 2 December 1924, Page 3

DISCOVERY OF GOLD

ANNIVERSARY OF AUCKLAND FIND. Sunday. November 16, was the anniversary of a most important event in the history of Auckland, says the ‘Stai . It was on November 16, 18n2, that the Governor, Lieutenant-Colonel AAym-arct went to Coromandel for the purpose of arranging with the -Maori owners of the land to open the country for '.F pectinc. The goldfields 1,1 , Aust ™ had attracted so many workers from Auckland that there was a scarcity labour. Had it not been for the Maoris being such useful workers the position would have been more serious. Ihev must have been a self-reliant people m Auckland in the early days, for a meet*ing of citizens was held, at which a reward committee was set up. and i was agreed to pay the sum or the first discoverer of payable gold in the Auckland province. Withiu less than a week Mr Charles Ring claimed the reward. He was a New Zealand settler who had recently returned from the Californian goldfields. He stated that he had discovered gold near Coromandel Harbour. On Saturday, October 23, the reward committee went to Coromandel in the yacht Undine, Captain Francis, to, inspect the find, and on its return with all colours flying the people knew that the inspection had been satisfactory. The members of the reward committee were evidently not company! promoters, for they 5 issued a bulletin reporting that the gold undoubtedly existed at Coromandel, but that the question of the precious metal being sufficiently abundant to prove the find a payable one was held in abeyance. Incidently it is also mentioned that the reward of £ooo Was withheld for u similar reason. The gold, it may be mentioned, was discovered by Air Ring in the bed of the Kapanga Creek. The Government was faced with a problem,: because the land was owned bv Alaoris, and under the Treaty of VVaitangi their rights were strictly preserved. On November 16 the Lieutenant Governor. Colonel AVynyard. went! to Coromandel accompanied by Bishop G. A. Selwyn and the Chief Justice, whose ’‘name is not stated, but was most probably Sir "William Martin. A meeting was held with the Maori owners, and the matter of opening their land for (prospecting was discussed. The question’was practically decided bv the speech of a notable chief, Te Taniwha, who was a very venerable man, and as a boy saw Captain Cook. Some of the Alaoris were jealous that it might ud in losing their land, but Te lanivba, who seemed pleased that the D onous metal bad been discovered on the i: nd of his ancestors, said: “Tt is well! it is well! These are the tokens of p. «><;e. the Governor; the "Bishop, the Ci of Justice. Here we are in Gw assemblage of these your parents, the messengers of God, of peace, of justice. no arrangements are left to b ;°'- ernor, O Bishop, 0 Chief Jmr:. i:.