Greymouth Evening Star, AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 1901. GOLD DREDGING INDUSTRY.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 7 March 1901, Page 2

Greymouth Evening Star, AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 1901. GOLD DREDGING INDUSTRY.

The past month's dredging returns (excluding the Totara Dredge, which is a private concern) show that ten dredges were working during February. That two machines, Pcrd's Creek and New River, were engaged in preparatory work, and got no gold, while the Buller Dredge returns are only available for two weeks and Dobson No. 2 for three. Waipuna only worked three days. The month's yield was as follows:

Total ... 25 A weeks (J(j7 This gives a weekly average per dredge of 21 ounces. As 12 ounces will well cover all expenses, the profit for the month is 384 J ounces, valued at £1,838, certain'y an excellent beginning for the industry. Of course, many months must elapse ere golddredging gets a fair swing on, but the figures so far indicate that with ordinary precaution success must follow. The expenses of the ten dredges during the month of February - and this includes the two that so far have got no gold-amount to £1,920 while the value of the gold won was £2,668, showing a profit for the month of £748, or roughly £9,000 for the year. If this result can be shown in the infancy of the industry, when machines are in many cases not yet on their proper dredging ground ; when half the time is occupied in preliminarg work and altering and repairiny machinery, how much better must the results be when we are in full swing ?

Nelson Creek (4 weeks) .. 196 Leviathan (4 „ ) . .. 144 Bullcr Junction (4 „ ) .. 142 Grey River (4 „ ) .. GO Reeves' Proprietary (4 „ ) .. 41 Dobson No. 2 (3 „ ) .. 27 Buller Dredge (2 „ ) . .. 40 Waipuna (3 days) , .. 11