LAWRENCE.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XII, Issue 43, 13 February 1885, Page 18

LAWRENCE.

(From our own Correspondent.) -, 9th February, 1885. The yields and divisions of profits from the principal claims are Btill satisfactory, the Gabriel's Gully Tailings Company especially contributing to the general success. The proprietors of this claim have been put to considerable expense and are now beginning to reap their reward. The manager, Mr. Adams, who came here from the Thames, informs me that last year there were 804ozs. of gold obtained in 10£ months, which would, after all expenses were paid leave about £1200 to be divided among the shareholders. The expenses in this claim are not very heavy at the present time, and as it is believed that the richest portionof theground still remains untouched there is no doubt that the dividends will increase considerably. Mr Perry, who ie, I believe, the largest shau holder, is now in New South Wales, where he has invested in a tin miue from which he anticipates great result?.— The Great Extended Company are still sluicing with good results in Munto's Gully, and Kitto's party, who have since my last been joined by two others, are also doing well at the same place.— The North of Ireland and Extended Amalgamated are on good ground just now, as also are the Perseverance, and Morrison and Company obtained a very good dividend at the end of the year.— Livingstone's which is also a sluicing claim and has always borne a very good name is for sale.— The Otago Mining Company are still trucking the dirt out of the open face, and have about twenty men at work, who keep the battery with 20 stamps continually going.— The Great Extended tributers, of whom there are twelve are working under ground Their dividend last month, after paying all expenses, was small, but they entertain good hopes that next washing will tell a different tale — Since my last letter, a number of the men at the Wetherstones claim stopped work on account of the wages being reduced from 8s to 7s Finding that they were not paying expenses the manager, told the men that he would be compelled to reduce the wages, but at the same time informed them that the Company would guarantee them 7s per day, and promised, should they realize more than that amount after paying all expenses, the men should reap the benefit np to the former rate of 8 shillings, the shareholders to take the remainder I believe that by most people this offer is looked upon as a very fair one. For a number of years this claim has kept from 40 to 50 men constantly at work, paying them good wages. These men have for the most part established themielves in good comfortable homesteads with gardens, orchards «tc., and many of them have cattle and are very comfortable, and would in all probability find it better to remam at home, even though working at slightly reduced wages than to wander over the country seeking work. Some few have left for '■ pastures new, whilst others are still holding on; the greater part of those who have been at work latterly have, however, again set to and when I went down on Friday last there were over twenty of them "down below." It would make a very great difference to the district if this claim were to stop, especially to Wetherstones and it is to be hoped that some means will be found by which th° interests both of employers and employed may be served.— l see that in Victoria, gold-mining has greatly increased within the last twelve months, the dividends of the year '84 exceeding those of the previous year by no less than one million sterling. The increase has also been gradual, each month showing a greater production of the precious metal than the one preceding it. There have been no new mines of unusual lichness discovered, nor any unusually rich veins m the old ones. It is also believed that this state of things wilt not only continue but improve. There can only be one cause for this great improvement, and that is, that more effective appliances have been used with which to save the gold, or some cheaper process of obtaining it has been discovered. We need not go far to find out the reason of this. The schools of mines have for many years been established in Victoria, and in one of them (I believe the principal one), of which Mr. Cosmo Newbery is the head master, there are no less than 200 pupils. Just at this period the aavantage to be derived from these schools is becomiDg apparent in Victoria, as the young men who have been instructed there, are now taking up their position in the mining community, and the instruction they have received is producing the result above mentioned. Such a result as this in an adjoining colony should surely show us the necessity which exists for the establishment of similar institutions in the central townships in the goldfields of Wew Zealand. Mining has now reached a stage at which an amount of scientific knowledge is absolutely necessary both for the procuring the gold at a moderate cost and for the saving it, and this is on y to be obtained by an education being given to the young meu of the present day which will teach them the best method of eliminating the gold from the mineral and the most economical way of producing it. To quote the words of our present Minister of Mines—" Gold has driven these colonies 60 years ahead of what they would otherwise be and the diggings have brought a lot of enterprising, daring, and honest men to the Colony. Irrespective of the pecuniary benefit which must accrue to the Colony from the fostering of this industry surely every encouragement should be given to such men as these— the bone and smew of tue country, and accordingly it ismost sincerely robe hoped that next session the Government will abolish that obstructive element which is assisting so greatly.in ruining the mmm» industry throughout the Colony— the gold duty. °