COMMUNICATED.

Grey River Argus, Issue 88, 4 August 1866, Page 2

COMMUNICATED.

j ' This is a most important question, I aflFecting, as it does, so vitally the exteri- ! sive interests of Weatlahd, "btit it is iT question that cannot at present be positively answered. , Nevertheless it may be well to consider some "few circumatances ' connected with the matter, with a view/ of ascertaining if anytlung can be done? in order to come to a more certain conclusion as to their being so or Hot, I see by your Tuesday's issiie that your Nelson!sj Creek correspondent has touched upon "this subject, .•,:'■ He is qivite right in stating that "all the Grey : gold vhas been procured from " a" false bottom/ but % he could-hot .havebeen awarp at the time of .writing '■jihat on' the New' River proper by the Maoris -the. Little Arnold) 'which empties into v the Saltwater, some /niles above the laterush ? a "celebrated prospeotor (" Bpandy Jack"), afteriWork--ing out his claim on tho false bottpmf has gone through . it to the main bottom at a depth oiabout^ twenty-three fe6t, and found good payable gold- There has been a small, rush to the place, and about one hundred men are on "tho ground all s.iiik. ing for the bed rock, - ; The above fact, together with the certainty of the Saltwater diggings being upon the main bottom, 1 , does' to some extent answer the question ; but there is a vast district, from, the, Saltwater to the Little 'Grey yet to be proved, including the principal :_ creeks and^ gullies on the coa.st.. There is no doubt that the groundwill be deeper than. that proved on- the. New River, bitt it is. beUeved by all practical miners that, with proper appliances, the difficulties could be surmounted, and if this immense district were found to be payable, by deep sinking there can be' no doubt ' that there would be work for .a large population for the next hundred years at least. A f iill.investigation ( of this subject appears to me to be of the first importance to those who are investing largely on> the coast, as well as .to -your many readers ; for if the land is only to be skinimedover as heretofore a very few years will suffice for the purpose.- ; ' , , There is no doubt that the whole, of this district will be ultimately tested^by . deep .sinking, but it is of the, greatest importance that it should be tested promptly, as~ there are many hundreds of men wander-, ing about not knowing, where , to settle do^vn,. and many are leaving the coast/ Having been much among the. '•mining community, I could not shut my eyes to the fact that; there is a -large^number of men who are anxious to get away,"but have not the means to do so— they require what is called a " constant show." or" some-; thingto settle down to. -> , ;- ... .. ■- The ground that has liitherto ; been worked has- been so shallow that a; few weeks has *been found sufficient to work out a claim, in fact most .oF the" creeks areworked, out, and the work dobignow>is ", terrace work" Some of this may last a few years., but' not much of it. The■priucipar part, however, will be worked out in^a few months, and. then what will be the result. .•• ■ '. . ' I am not at all desponding as to Westland's future' prosperity, but I think the ■means its prosperity will have to be sought deeper down in the earth than it lias hitherto been found. , Then comes the question— who is to make the' experiment ? There are certainly very few parties of diggers .who are strong enough to go to the expense necessary for a proper trial j>f the ground* who then is to' do it ; Would it bfe just to ask the merchants and tradespeople to ' help ? .If , it; would, be just- to ask, ; would the repeal be responded- to 1 : These questions I .must have answered. The expense of a trial" would be considerable., It could not be done without ah "engine" or very powerful water works ;,butithiiik "that difficulties equally great have been overcome on the Kanieri and on the Commissioners Flat, and there is nothing to indicate^greater difficulties here than have been surmounted' in these v two, places. I agree entirely with your leading -article of Thiirsday, <; and Relieve |yßur theory as to the deposits of goldi on the'beach terraces, but atthe same time those workings a,re not likely to be so permanent as deep sinking.. They will.no doubt ex- , tend to the i>ack, of the Jow-nJ and how much further no one- can say, and they arc deep .' enough to last* for sgome years, but if the large tract of country frbni the Saltwater to the,, Little Grey should Jbe found tp pay for deep sinking we may expect to see sqxne young v Ballarats'' springing up, and the in machinery, &c. , will jbe very good, giving employment to many others than miners. . ; ; This subject has occupied my attention during twelve months'' residence on the. 'goldfields" of the West Coast> and I think the time is como for action in the matter, being, as I before stated, .of such vital ira-: ■ portance-to the" large vested- interests of th 6 district, the question again arises, >. HoSv is it to be done 1