THE SEARCH FOR GOLD.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20168, 21 February 1931, Page 12

THE SEARCH FOR GOLD.

AUSTRALIAN ACTIVITY.

S The New South Wales Mines Department is giving tuition to nearly 1000 men a week on the subject of gold-find-ing, says the Sydney "Mail." Molt '' of thfeae will join thousands of others! who are already out "in search of/the g precious metal. In addition, between s 4000' and 5000 pperienced prospectors 0 are in the field aided by a Government y subsidy, btit no mofcey is available td l- assist others.— The gold fever is rising; ISTo excepj, tiohal "finds" have been unearthed td d justify a rush to, any field, but thf lure o is always there, and at a time when ', thousands of* able-bildied men are out of work it is only natural that they 0 sliotlld turn their thoughts tb the secret e vaults of Mdther Earth in the sure ; knowledge that if they can only find J the traok that leads to thefce, Vaults J fortune awaits them. That there is touch hiddeii gold ill ® Australia no one doubts. The geologists will not commit themselves, yet f' they tire all Optimists. "Where ydti find gold once you will always find 3 more, 5 ' said one Of them tile other day, 7 and as the precious metal has already 1 been found in payable quantities on & '» score of fields in New South Wales alone> it is safe to assume that it will ® be recovered in even larger quantities in days to come. The unemployed, however, are not the only people Who are urgently in need , of gold to-day; the Government is lit its wits' end to discover new sources 6f r wealth, and, like the individual, its > mitid automatically thinks back to the j 1 "roaring days," and it wonders how it £ can teajj a hirVest stieh a§ the country 2 reaped away back iii the 'fifties aid . 'sixties of last ceiltury. At an inducenionfc to pfo&p&etofi td gd" btit iii seardh e of the elusive metal, the Government ? has offered a reward of £IOOO to the person who discovers a heretofore untouched field, and £SOO to the finder 1 of a now deposit anywhere in the State. • But these are the big plums. Theirfe ate plenty of Small ones, and, appar- « eiitly, pleilty of ttien to go after thetfl j —and women, too. 15,000 Prospectors. ' At the |)rbseht nldiiieht there ate prob- ? ably 15,000 prospectors it work in New . £south Wales. Mfrny Of thein are ei- ; pbrieneed ftiiners; the majority are mote . or less novices. Probably everyone of these men believes he will "strike it ■ rich" sooner or later) and if he failfi, [ at least he is certain that others will, for it is their inherent belief ill the existeMe of "Stfttiks of gold" fiomeI tfhfcrd ill' AustrftliA' thftt induces,theSe ftigil to catty oil the ftebrch. During the ladt 618 ifidnthß the Government h&B [ spent feOirietHltig like £40,000 in Assist- " ing men tQ .go out. In all it has' "fath- ■ fetdd" tiedrly 5000 inert.. Add it h&S not Bent them away without knoWledgfe ' tofthfc problem they flre tacklifitt. What is virtually a prospecting fifehobl 16 held j dally at the Mining Museum, in Sydney. [ &re sessions, and a 4 each is attended by from 50 to 100 tnen, the ; ii ttiffiihg eat neftfiy lobo " embryo miners a week. Of courie, ntfjiiag aftnnot be learned at a museuth, . Mdr cab a man Over become an export : Sliflfty & the r&ult of practical' demOtistrations off the field. Experience • ig the only ttfacher. At the same time, i it is no use seftding men away to the ■ outback without a knowledge of , what k they aro looking for ( how to look iot > it, dhd the most HlcSl? plfiS6S 111 'Wlilfeh • to find it. That is what the Mines DeI partment is trying to provide at this ! school. The riieh dfe takeh in ' groups, shown numerous specimens of " Vnewchum" gold—-"the thing# to avoid ' —then giveri & bf instruction in panning, cradling, sluicing, etc.' It is all simple, exceedingly simple. The instftictdrs Mijw thai* jab, add Ate eafi • Able of dealing with all the questions 1 that arise; but practical experience is .fessehti&l. ■' , ' It is quite evident that k many of the ' youths who fattehd, ihS feiiUdol nftvS Already made up theif titlfcds tS district ihey' will confine their attfentiofas. All they want are a prdfitic&l Jufits. Others have decided to go to the oiHiatry in search or work, and they are fortifyiitrt with a little eitra k'iioMedge. in ea«e it Should prove taseftjl. Still, other!) liftve n^ei; tJOeft oiifc of kl6thing ttbbut places or prospect*. The OfiVdrii&tot pound h wedlt Jbi fdur 6r Wftekfc*—« jlbt given to novices. * Only men who a&mdttStMte their ability to Set about .tne 1 -job lii a W&Micftl *&? bxld Vlthblit 16W pf time Hie the &ll&W&iies, ftl 4 thoutfh ip. ifian? caneft they take inex■pdHeiffefefl flieitl "frltli' thditti /At th 6 rtomint eve'ty pefitty 6f the itttilldy* hft» tteeh so that it is uSeleSB for Old haiide to ftpfly for it. No adubt the fiiftke & ; ther sbrti availahlej, but. uhtil it does id one Should Aotlnt 04 it. ' N ' STOCKS. POPULAR ,IK AtJSTRALIA. ' ' Nfew Zealand stocks hate b£eA kfeOftly ' sought is Australia oi late.. (&?- fernniSnt ■ Botids, 5| iter cent;, w&rth. kpproxiitaatfety £9O 10s Ideally. WSte Isold in Sydtiey last w©ek at £ll9' While tiiittk 'bf New shttres Were sold' &t £8 16b 6d whfefl jihtj Ideal tifica wa& £2 28-da. The fiUpUlto i'rditi the point ■ 6r of the Idcftl investor who may tvish to avail hiiqtelf of these prices is that if he selib to & Sydney he taniiofc 6 hank to transfer the proceeds. Au§< tralia's present' policy and one supported by the banks, is "Keep the money in the-, countrySinfcp the kbove sates were tne a&nahd for New . Zealand Government stocks has eased off) possibly, as an <\ftermath > of the ehi'thduakd. Biifch' i not seem adequate . explAtfation, but ' capital igi notoriously timid and extraordinary sensitive. , »y Trtr -n