THE HAURAKI GOLD-FIELD.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 15, Issue 645, 7 January 1869, Page 3

THE HAURAKI GOLD-FIELD.

[PBOM OTTB OWN COBEESPONDENT.]

[This letter having been unaccountably delayed, we are sorry to be obliged to omit several interesting portions, which have been anticipated by the newspapers.]

Shortland, Dec. 17. Everything is very dull. Several seizures by bumbailiffs, and consequent forced sales lately. Even those •who continuously prophesied the great things that would be in a few weeks, during the first six or nine months of thix place (twelve months ago), are now obliged to admit that the gold-iield iy in a very depressed state. —although they may ascribe this result to a different cause, and propose a different remedy, from mine. " Want of capital" is their cry. True : but if these mines had proved as generally rich as these people asserted, the capital would have been obtained from the ground long ere this time.

There are somewhere about a score of claims paying well, some of these handsomely, another score or so that will pay moderately well; a number more may pay for working if they are worked economically, and their stuff gets crushed at a moderate figure ; the bulk of the claims are comparatively worthless. The number of the claims on the ground is estimated at 1,500 ; miner's rights current, say 11,500, or thereabouts; deduct for non-workers and duplicates, 3,500 —leaving 8,000, which we will assume to be about the number of working miners on the ground. Should the yield prove to amount to 40,000 ounces for the quarter year, it would be an average of 5 ounces per man for three months ; which, without deducting charges for crushing, is but a very poor return in wages, as the gold got probably not average more than will £2 10s per ounce. So much for averages; but it must be remembered that the bulk of the gold is obtained by a few claims, and consequently the profits are divided among a very few, leaving the many to be, as they unquestionably are, losers. The amount of Auckland money invested in claims, if ascertained, would astonish seme people ; and by far the largest portion of the investors have not seen any profit from their investments. The companies now forming are only another style of easing the pockets of the non-working public. Scarcely a company is offered to the public but numbers, among its so-called paid-up shareholders, several who would gladly sell out at a considerable discount for cash; hence any person ■wishing to invest may do so at a cheaper rate by buying from one of the holders than by applying to the manager direct, and ha\ing consequently to pay up the full nominal value of the shares. The number of miner's rights current in October being 12,000, and now somewhat less, points to the probability of the said number being the maximum likely to be attained, barring contingencies, such as further rich discoveries.

The machinery on the Karaka block amounts to a total of 177 stampers (without including single stamper machines, grinders, and Chilian mills) working or in working order, and four others of 52 stampers. I should in a forward state suppose the present power will reduce 1,000 tons of stuff weekly. There are yet others building not sufficiently forward for me to tell from ocular evidence their number of stamps. At what is generally called "Tapu" one machine has been working some time, and I have heard of a second about starting, and others building ; consequently these mines are in a fair way to be developed. Wages are very moderate for a rich gold-field, running from 5s per day upwards; probably the, majority of laboring miners are re-, ceiving 6s—a few 7s to Bs. But men are plentiful, and employment scarce. There would be no difficulty' in obtaining 100 men in twenty-four hours at current rates. In the above remarks on machinery I do not intend to convey the idea that we have got fully supplied ; on the contrary, there ia room for many more machines and

work for them at fair prices. In Victoria, where machinery has to bear the cost of land transport for 50 to 140 miles, crushing is said to be done for 6s per ton; here it is, now £1 to £1 ss. Lots of stuff that would pay at the Victorian rates, proves a losing game here at current rates. After Christmas the yield should improve. A system of tramways has been talked of. The Superintendent of Auckland has issued certain regulations under which he intends to grant leases of some blocks of ground for mining purposes. These leasing regulations are not liked by the miners, and they have testified their disapproval on several occasions unmistakeably. But the Superintendent appears to be determined to issue the leases in direct opposition to their wishes. They appear inclined to adopt the only constitutional remedy, i.e., ask the Governor to withdraw the powers delegated to the Superintendent, and [the sequel to that would follow, the Governor to appoint and delegate the power of managing this goldfield to some other person. Such a result would displease the Provincialists, but, it it occurs, they have brought it on themselves. The gross mismanagement displayed both on the West and East Coasts, the miserable failure of most of the operations, and the horrible , murders that were the sequel to the , successes of our fanatical foes —farce ending in tragedy—have led a number ol Aucklanders to go in for a petition to the Queen to suspend the Constitution, and appoint a Dictator with full powers. Some of the movers in this were, until lately, supporters, either directly or indirectly, of the Ministerial side, and, acknow- ( ledging the utter incapacity of the existing ministry, fly to the Home , Government for help, instead of taking s;eps to remove the Ministry by the proper constitutional method, and to get their places filled either by better men, or at any rate by men not proved incompetent. Our (Auckland) Resident Minister, Dr Pollen, is a man of considerable talent, although not popular; , and it is to be hoped that he thoroughly understands what he is about, and the weighty consequences , that may follow one false step. The other members of the Colonial Executive are not trusted by anyone here. These may be strong terms, but I allude to public men and public opinion ; and no man, cither in the press or at a public meeting, expresses full confidence in them. Their supporters defend their own conduct by comparison only—" not that they had any confidence in Stafford and Co., but because they had still less in Fox," —a lame excuse, which jDractically means that the Colony is so unfortunate, so pitiable, that it contains no man fit, able and willing, to administer the Government. Poor New Zealand !