A Mining Engineer.
A motion, by Mr Reeves, for the appointment of a mining engineer for the Province, was carried in the Provincial Council on Thursday. We agree with the mover in the pressing necessity for this appointment; but we entirely differ from Mr Donald Reid, who said that because the machinery in use for crushing quartz did not save all the gold, the shareholders in quartz-mining companies should be punished for permitting this waste to continue. If Mr Reid had known anything practically of quartz-mining, he would not have ventured to make such a remark. The fact is, it is not the fault, any more than it is the wish, of the shareholders in these companies, that a very large percentage of fine gold should pass off from the batteries |n the tailings ; but it would not pay them to resort to the very tedious and delicate processes which are used by assayers when testing small quantities of ore. They save what they can with the machinery at their disposal, leaving it to to obhers to treat the tailings. In Victoria, and at the Thames, this is a separate and distinct branch of mining industry; and on an average those who treat tailings merely, make a larger profit pn their outlay than the mine-owners who crush the ore in the first instance. But the services of a skilled mining engineer would be an incalculable gain to the mining population at large, as well as to those interested in quartz-mining ; and we think the Province might well afford to pay the salary of such an officer, more especially as the gold-fields contribute largely to the Provincial revenue. In Auckland a somewhat similar officer is appointed, tinder the title of Mining Inspector, the office being created by Act of the General Assembly, and the arrangement has been found to work well. Quartz-mining is being developed as an industry in Otago, and we think steps should be taken, in this respect at least, to assimilate our gold-fields establishment to that in the North.— Guardian.
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Bibliographic details
Cromwell Argus, Volume V, Issue 237, 26 May 1874, Page 7
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342A Mining Engineer. Cromwell Argus, Volume V, Issue 237, 26 May 1874, Page 7
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