AIMING AT TOO MUCH.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1081, 15 January 1872, Page 2

AIMING AT TOO MUCH.

The Bendigo Advertiser holds forth in the following suggestive manner:— Of course there is no occasion for any lament over the present mining position. It is hard to tell what it is soms people would have. Only the other day one would have thought that a sort of mining millenium had arrived, and that everyone was to grow suddenly rich. There was a general rubbing of hands and winking of eyes among those who know "a, good thing" when they see it, and pf the hundreds to be met with perambulating the Mall, there were not many whddisclaimed possession of this particular kind of knowledge. They are not quite so ; eagerf and gleeful, and sly-looking how, but' while -he majority declare they see nothing to be downcast about, there are a few who appear to be in the mopes, not because they have actually lost anything, but because the excitement is over, and the chanpps pf going tp bed poor and rising up rich in the morning have vanished. There are some who have written us letters-too long and doleful for. publication to say nothing of their tone in other respects, in which they deprecate our conduct in discouraging speculation. We are not aw&re, however, of having said anything calculated to discourage fair and legitimate speculation, nor have we wilfully and deliberately. .written a line from which it might be inferred that we take a, despondent view of the. present . condition •of things. We must say we are .glad the proceedings in the miniug market are of a less feverish character than they have been for some time past ; and we hold that we have; had enough company promotion, and to spare, for some time to come. It is ridiculous. to suppose that we desire to check the progress of prospecting operations,, We have made it our business to urge their prosecution in a reasonable aud practiqal manner, But what is the use of people entering into

aa^ i— j_ . -~ T y, . -j.".^ mdertakings which it would be altogether beyond; their means to pursue to a substantial end ? We feel as certain as &*/ most eager prospector can do, that the district is full of reefs many of which, on being thoroughly opened, will be found to be rich, but there is such a,, thing as barren quarts, we believe, "even in this auriferous .region, and :there are/ many reefs that take an immense time in their exploration, and over which ..immense sums of money .have to be spent before stone is found from which dividends can be obtained. There are large numbers of people who, at great inconvenience to themselves, have been paying ■ calls for years past, arid have never received any returns from the claims in which they are interested. Are we to expect, simply because some of. our lines have .of , late turned put remarkably well, that ttie|Bwill be any alteration in the general rule by which patience and perseverance and money are necessary, for lengthened periods, before a new reef can be developed sufficiently to remunerate those who pay for its prospecting, and live from year to year in the hope of its doing them isome good at last ? Surely, by so much as we multiply prospecting companies, we increase the demand on the patience and the perseverance and the pockets of! the public. Where is all the money to come " from 1 The funds necessary to sustain all, or half the companies now supposed to be in the district, will amount to a sum in the aggregate in the year, which,ilthbugh. it may be divided among a large number of people, will distress many sorely, when they come to be called on perpetually to contribute their share. It is because we wish to see the work of prospecting carried on in a really practical manner, that we regret to find so much attempted.