AN OPEN LETTER

Hokitika Guardian, 22 February 1921, Page 2

AN OPEN LETTER

TO THE CHAIRMAN AND MEMBERS OE THE PROGRESS LEAGUE, WESTLAND BRANCH.

Sir and Gentlemen —Latterly wo hear ! a great deal about Wrfol, Hides, Tallow | Milk, Cream, Butter, Cheese, Timber, I etc.—produce of Westland, also Electric Power to help ns along. But not la word is said for our Mineral Resources. What is wrong; the Mining for Gold started over 50 years ago, hut ! not a single gold-bearing reef is openled this side of Greymouth, still asleep, the golden nugget, “Rodda,” is alright, where are its brothers and sisters ? If i it had not been for the disastrous fire,, or otherwise a more prosperous time had been since, things might be different now, I had 4 years of study of reefs from 18(50 to 1804 in Victoria, j There is also the Taipo Range, where j now T think I could lay my hands on a payable Reef, having been there and studied the formation. 1 Again what is wrong with Mount Rangitoto, true a fairly large Company worked there for some time trying j to find a lode, but chiefly for the pur-, j pose of selling shares, a bane to most * undertakings, the Mount is covered with numerous outcrops of ore, “Galena,” containing both gold and silver. True, those I have seen were not j very extensive, or wide veins, hut sufficient 1 think to pay, from some of •those, outside (lie area taken up by the prospectors, T took about 801 b. and sent these to the School of Mines at Ballarat for assay, the result was sufficient gold to pay besides the silver. Unfortunately the certificate as to the exact value, which I carried in my coat pocket in the daytime, was also destroyed dn the big fire at night.—Yours Respectfully, C. J. E. LINNEMANN. Hokitika, February 4th,, 1921.