"The Kimberley

Feilding Star, Volume VII, Issue 150, 29 May 1886, Page 2

"The Kimberley

Public attraction continues to be attracted to the very satisfactory reports which are almost daily coming to hand from Kimberley of rich finds of the precious metal. Meetings are being held and parties organised in every part of the colony, with a degree of enthusiasm which has seldom been equalled since the days of *49 when California was rushed. It would seem as if the Kimberley had been opened at a time when all the adventurous spirits in the several colonies of Australasia were on the outlook for an opening to display thoir latent energies. One distinguishing feature in the matter is that the dismal, but we believe truthful, reports of the dreadful climate, dangers from fever, snakes, ants, alligators, and other horrors, have not in any way been softened down or concealed. Nor has any attempt 'been made to get up a " duffer or storekeepers" rush to attract men and money to the country. Any one undertaking the journey knows well what he may expect to meet. If his health should -be ruined, or if death itself should snatch him in any of the numerous shapes the "grim annexer" may assume he will only have himself to blame. Still we like to see the young blood stirring, and we hope and trust the men from New Zealand will do honor to their country in tho land they are going to.. We would, however, warn married men, that they have no right to leave their wives and families behind them, either only temporarily provided for, or not provided for at

all. In the rush for gold we know that the most sacred ties are too often forgotten, while many a wife, aud family of young children, is loft to be the recipiont of charitable aid. When ■ the husbands leave, they honestly enough perhaps, intend to send back money in abundance, but the fulfilment of this is the exception rather than tha rule. The poor fellows are not always able to carry out their heartfelt desire duringthefirstyear of absenceand after wards they are apt to become callous or indifferent, so their distant families are either forgotton altogether, or the memory of them put past as an unpleasant subject not to be thought of. • Unhappily what we have indicated as j a mere possibility a m the future, is well known as a bitter truth in almost every part of the world from whence there has been an exodus to a gold field. We do not for one moment deirre to convey the idea that we think married men should take their families with them, what we do mean is that they should oither stay at home, or, if they must go, leave their families in such circumstances that they wiU be secure from want er privation during their temporary separation.