THE EDUCATION 'OF QUARTZ MANIPULATORS.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1154, 10 April 1872, Page 2

THE EDUCATION 'OF QUARTZ MANIPULATORS.

A contributor to a Cromwell paper, who has given some Valuable suggestionsi on mining matters, makes the following remarks on the subject of quartz mining and manipulation; : r --..:-- N • . :; . As • quarts mining, ia becoming, so general, and from all.' present indications likely to resolve itself into a permanent industry, a. momentous question arises ; and that ie— Where aW Our future managers and manipulators to come from? Is there anything being done in the schools I and universities !to fit the rising generation to fill such positions, if necessary ? If- not," it ' is .time, some attention waa' paid to' this department of education; so that in the future a class ( of young men may arise, who will be qualified, after a_ short' probation at the practical work, of V quartz disintegration, to with ( tte mysteries, of golc^^av^ng^an'd,"by the application of tneir acquired scientific knowJftSge^4eJb^and...conqnm r j^j»Bt4«a.of 'difficulties, constantly arising in the way of successful'tnUMpulSton. "ft is notorious . that the present supply, of qualified men for' the work is .tpfeJly'inadequate 'tp^the demand. Important mining interests often rest.on the fia^of a person totally unacquainted with ' the rudiments of chemistry, mineralpgyj .or geology, orj if he does boast of a smattering of either science, is probably found.to beacharlatap^ or perfect . iyjo in the' ; • business. If the ore with which; he . has to deali contains gold in large quantities and in a tolerably free :condition,, the shareholders 'owning the mine may be blessed witbJ dividends ; but if any peculiar obstacles arise, such', as the character of the ore essentially changing and putting his local experience ,to fault, he, being unable to institute* a scientific investigation, which ,might lead to a solution of the difficult colonially speaking "caves in," declares the mine non-payable, and ,the . company, knowing no better, probably, take his unsupported word,. and , wiud ; up their; affairs : mining credit receives a rude shock, and the community suffers a 'loss. This is no fancy sketch : there are dozens of instarioes "to hand : and' time alone must' show whether the application of Bfcientific principles might liave' conduced 1 to different resuljts. . Some' of the larger quartz-mining companies of .Victoria, recognising ithe,absolute necessity for' correct scientific treatment of the various ores , met with >in their mines, have, retained the services' of a largeLstaS.of..experta-T-notably-4he-Port Philip Mining Company, at Clunes ; and it is probably due' "to 1 their exertions that this Company has been and, continues to beabletdpay Kandsbme dividends' from the poorest quartz operated upon in the :Golony..-,M:h;: -ni-u |i .- ■;•;-. \-u>u Havihg<said ! Sb ! much as to the urgent necessity for at once initiating an embryo race of future' "gold-savers^* l will endeavor to ' point but how the consummation 'may be reached. ', This" Province 1 (Qtagb) has ' the ,' gooC.^ri^e^, possess, in Dr. Black. of the Mniver^ity, a gentleman, "as I am informeci, eminently qualified to impart a scientifio education to his ;P\ipib ; and I read thafcthe Government intend erecting, a crushing machine' for testing ; quartz. Now, if, as it hjls been suggested, /the operations at line mill were , carried on in; connection witty the Professor's department, a 1 splendid field W students would be opened^ , Here- Ues mattet in a nutshell; scientific instruction, illustrated ,by practical application, would in all probability furnish the mining world in a very short time with youths

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who might commence at once as " cadets" at our principal mills and mines ; and in time the chrysalis would expand into the full-blown, intelligent, practical, and scientific manager and amalgamator. In conclusion, I would remark that until the above desiderata are acquired, we cannot expect to have stability assigned to our, gold-fields, confidence felt in mining ventures, or an uninterrupted prosperity for the Province.