Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1887. GOLDMINING.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1661, 13 September 1887, Page 2

Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1887. GOLDMINING.

Sir William Fox when, writing on the existing depression instanocd the low values of late obtaining* for our two ohief staples, wool and grain, and the diminished export of gold, which had fallen from upwards of three millions sterling per annum to below one million, thus curtailing the spending power of the colony by more than a couple of millions. He pointed out with regard to the former I that the prices were controlled by the ! London market, and that no legislation m the world could alter them. He did not say, however, with regard to the latttr, which ho might, and we think should, have said, that the policy of a Government with regard to the mioing industry could, and moßt probably would, naturally increase or diminish the output of the precious metal. Now, we hold very strong opinions on this subject, and we have no hesitation m saying that their treatment of the industry was one of the many cardinal sins of the Atkinson regime. They dealt it a heavy blow and great discouragement when they withdrew the rewards for new gold-fields which, for years before, had proved a powerful incentive to miners to undertake the labour of, and undergo the privations incidental to, the exploration oi hills and valleys previously untrodden by the white man. As we have previously shown these', rewards might have been bo hedged around with oonditionß that not a shilling of the reward need have left the Government chest until more than the whole amount had been paid m by way of gold duty, besides which, the Government would have had a very powerful factor for revenue producing purposes. The wanton blow thus' administered by the Atkinson Government to the goldminiag industry was, m our opinion, as suicidal an aot as any Government could possibly be guilty of, an 4 tended greatly to accentuate the depression m this colony. In pleasing contrast to the insane policy of Major Atkinson and his aristocratic colleagues, who " didn't want the colony convertedjinto a goldfield." stands out the far-seeing policy of tho present Government. They reversed the Atkineoni n policy and at once took the industry under th«ir fostering care. They proclaimed rewards for new fields on an •quitabls scale, which cammended itself to the diggers, and the work of exploring and prospecting was resumed by the enterprising miners. The Government, however, did not stop here. They went a few steps further. They established schools of mines m each mining centre, l_ which lectures were delivered by eminent Professors, and classes were formed and instructed by competent teachers, with the result that there are now scattered over the colony « large body of intelligent mipers — about 600, we beiieve— who, by tests into tbe use of which they have been, drilled, well m a few minutes, oan tell what metals, if any, are coataiaed m any particular piece of quartz or rock, and, if there be gold, can tell pretty accurately how much to the ton It will go, after half an hour's manipulation of it m the laboratory attached to any of these schools. The result of this enlightened policy on the part of the present Government m jast beginning to ahonr itself. The other day we chronicled the discovery of an enorntously rich reef at Hikutaia, In the Thamea dlotrlot, and 10-d»y< the telegraph informs us of another having been found near Cambridge, m the Waikito, which quite throws tha Thames find Into the shade. These, regarded bb the first fruits of the present Governments policy, are very encouraging, and giveß promise of a glorious future when the back bone of the eoleny — the dividing range— from South to North, rhall have bern made by the exertions of educated miners to discloie its hidden stores of mineral wealth.