THE THAMES GOLDFIELD.

Dunstan Times, Issue 338, 16 October 1868, Page 3

THE THAMES GOLDFIELD.

A New Sbtfth Wales digger writing to the “Sydney Empire” says:—Hunt’s claim is supposed to be the best, and a few more about it. There may be one-hundred claims that will pay wages; the rest will require al' the “blowing ’’ they can do to sell out of or get anything for them. They try hundredweights of stone out of some of them, an- 1 get from nothing to one or two grains, and so on to a pennyweight. . The fact is, for one good claim there are a hundred bat ones. Hundreds of claims are held that have not the sign of a color in them; and the talk, from morning till night, is of selling out. There is always in the “Thames Advertiser” a column of shares for sale, with the highest of names, such as the Tapu Mint, Bank of England, Golden,, Cross and so on. One claim at Tapu, which is a place distant about twelve miles, crushed twenty tons of quartz, and realised ten pennyweights for the lot. There are tv o or thr- e others claims which pay Well at . that place; but all the experienced men that have been there from the first say it is a failure. Wages in Hunts claim are £3 per week for the best men, others according to working qualities; other claims from 355. to £2per week; for exprienced nr nin deep and wet sinking, £2. to £2.-ss. per week There is no alluvial ground there whatever, but they are always talking what' there is ■ further up the Thames, and other inland : places, where the Maoris do not allow them to go. The most part of the digging popu- ■ lation there are what used to be Volunteers from the Waikato and other places; they look to know more about a rifle than any tool connectd with mining. There are not many Australians there yet, and I hope they will have sense to stay where they are, for ‘everything looks very dull, both in Auckland and at the Thames, for a digger. There, arc a great many reefs reported to go from five ounces to thirty ounces to the ton. The way they come at that yield is, the/ take five or ten pounds of the very best specimens they can fin-1 to the chemist’s shop, and get them tried and average the same. They are known to give ss. or 1 Os. for the loan of good specimens for the day for the purpose of selling out to people who are not acquainted with, reefing. It may look strange at parties giving up claims after working six months, which give six ounces to the ton, but the leaders being so very narrow (only one or two inches thick,) take a length of time to get out a few- tons. Work -is not so plentiful as is reported. Most of the men at work getting 10s. per week, and a halt share for working a full one. There’are capitalists who have a great many shares, and pay men 10s. and half shares, so they hold sleeping halves, and will not bo much out whether gold is struck or not. There is not much ground to pro' spect in* up the Thames only being seven' tacn miles, and' if' Jiggers go beyorid that* tbe-Maoris have power-given'them to warn ; men three times, and if they will not'return to bring them -to Shorthand, and they will be fined £5. There is not a British dominion’ any place whore her subjects are more imposed upon than Neav Zealand. The Maoris get 15s. out of every £1 taken for miner’s rights. One chief is said to get £6,000 a year. SSSSSS SSS ”555