The Feilding Star. TUESDAY, MAY 18, 1886. The Kimberley Goldfields

Feilding Star, Volume VII, Issue 145, 18 May 1886, Page 2

The Feilding Star. TUESDAY, MAY 18, 1886. The Kimberley Goldfields

The good accounts published of the capabilities of theKimberly goldfields have attracted a considerable amount of attention among the young men in this settlement. As a natural consequence, the more adventurous of them are considering ways and means of ' deporting themselves to the New El

Dorado. There is nothing which ' commends itself more to us than the working of this spirit, therefore we are unwilling to damp it in anyway. On the contrary, we would offer every encouragement to those who know and feel they have the energy and courage to meet and overcome the difficulties and dangers invariably attendant upon the pursuit of gold mining. But we have a few words | of caution and advice to offer to them, which they will do well to consider before throwing over present employment. We have already stated that Kimberley is not " a poor man's diggins," which means that unless a man has a hundred pounds and upwards on his arrival at Perth, it will bo almost impossible for him to find his way to the goldfields, which are about three hundred miles inland. He must have horses for himself, and provisions to feed them and him on the way up. These necessaries, at least, would cost seventy pounds, so that when he arrived very little money would be left to carry on. It does not at all follow that when he gets on the ground he will *' get on gold" at the same time, many weary days must be spent, with much hard work done, before that desirable object may be attained. Bright hope nevor deserts a gold-digger, and if to-day brings disappointment, to - morrow may greet the adventurer with a shower of the attractive metal. Still, hope will n<jt keep the pot boiling, and it is well to nave three months provisions ahead on a dry diggings. The most important particular is health Unless a man is under 35 years of age and of good sound constitution, he better stay where he is. The climate is very trying, even to those who are acclimatised by years spent under a tropical sun, therefore men accustomed to the equable temperature of New Zealand are likely to find the tropical heat more than they can bear. Many old diggers will remember the awful mortality among those miners who went from New Zealand to the Gympie some years ago. These unfortunate men had been accustomed to the moist atmo sphere, and abundant fresh water on the West Coast — Hokitika way. When they arrived in Australia and started to travel over its arid waterless plains, fever and dysentery laid many of them low, while others were lamed for life, the softness of their feet making them peculiarly liable to blisters, which soon became open and offensive running sores, almost impossible to heal while on the march. But still the others went on — that goes withort saying. These facts will show it would be rank folly to attempt to travel on foot, and carry twenty days provisions in such a olimate, to save the expense of horseb. From what we have written it will be seen that the three requirements are money, youth, and health, without these to leave this colony iv the hope of " making a riae" on the diggings would be the rankest folly. To those who have all the requisites, as well as the desire to go, but are prevented by family ties, we may offer as consolation the remark that the greater the success of the new field, the greater the progress of this country. A new market will be opened for all farming produce, and before the present year has run its course, it is not too much to expect that vessels will be laid on direct from Wanganui to convey it. The whole of New Zealand will reap a benefit, but the dairy farmers will gather the lion's share.