The Dunstan Times. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1876.

Dunstan Times, Issue 753, 22 September 1876, Page 2

The Dunstan Times.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1876.

Beneath the rule of men entirely just (he pen is mightier than the sword.

How tEat the favorable season for mining operations is fast approaching it is to be hoped that the measure of prosperity in store for the delvers in mother earth, will recompense them for all theii losses occasioned through the long inclement winter, which is happily, except in very high altitudes, now at an end. Quartz mining, as a branch of raining industry, lias never made any great progress in Otago as yet, still we believe it is nol from any want of auriferous reefs or lodes themselves, but rather that we have not been looking in the right places for them. Where so much alluvial gold has'been extracted, and where so many detached pieces of gold bearing stone have been found, no miner of experience eould doubt but that the matrix was somewhere in the vicinity, not that we believe that all the gold came out of the reefs, as a considerable quantity has doubtless existed in the laminated quartz veins almost everywhere intersecting the metairrorphic system of rocks, still there are rich gold bearing quartz lodes for all that, and of the most permanent character, as has been Unmistakably proved by the Cromwell Company’s claim at Bendigo, and in the claims of the “ All Nations,” “ Maryborough,” and “ Homeward Bound „ Companies atMacetown. The operations of these latter have of course not as yet been conducted on a scale equal to that at Bendigo, but this is caused by these discoveries being only of recent date, together

■with tlie hithertoalmost inaccessibility of the situations—now that these difficulties are being got over, operations on an extensive scale wo believe will soon follow. Wo have tile opinions of experienced miners upon the subject that in each of these four instances there can bo no mistake about the lodes being true and permanent, while that more must exist ■somewhere. Observations go to show that whero the Country in the South Island of New Zealand has been violently disturbed, and vast tracts of this exist almost everywhere, that payable reefs do not exist, or rather, thht under present conditions they are not worth*following. It is therefore plainly apparent that our observations in the matter of searching for gold bearing quartz lodes,'must be directed in other directions, and tills must be to the undisturbed or untilted country at higher levels than we have been previously investigating, and there seems no reason to doubt but that it only requires a proper and systematic search to give an almost new life to our gold-mining industry. At Reefton in Westland, the situation and description of tho-stone is exactly similar to what is found at Macetown, and Bendigo, so that ’we have now three'similar conditions under 'which highly .ftpriferons quartz lodes are fennel, audit is only • therefore 'reasonable to suppose that nothing more is required to perfect the chain than a careful and systematic system of prospecting. With this carried out we think, in fact we feel assured that the popular belief of “ old identities," that the gold-mining industry is fist fading away from ns will soon be exploded. Whether these investigations should be carried on by the Government or by private enterprise, or by a system of rewards wo will not discuss at present—for our part we do not believe in Governments patronising everything, except in the shape of assisting. Government prospecting parties never did good scarcely anywhere, the wrong sort of men usually composing them. However, the subject of prospecting fir auriferous quartz lodes is well worthy of ‘attention, and we hope to refer to it again soon.