The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4th, 1924.

Hokitika Guardian, 4 December 1924, Page 2

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4th, 1924.

SUCCESSFUL MINING. The continued success of the p.old dredge at South Hokitika is a matter for all round congratulation. ' Those who retain faith in the gold hearing nature of the district will find every justification for that faith in what has been revealed by the working of Riinti Flat. Primarily tlie Flat could not be considered a very attractive dredging

proposition. It.-, elevation ami heavily wooded nature seemed to suggest an absence of alluvial richness. Such miullliliilig as imd taken place had proved the grolliul to he heavy ami dillicilll lo work and tlie initial dredging schemes failed. The failure i( is clear u 'as dim to lack ot power and ma.-lim-ery strong enough to handle the heavy, light, stoncy gioiin !. |‘,ut those, who came after were aide to prelit from tlm experience of others, and adding their nun knowledge of similar ground in oilmr countries, were aide to devise a plant which was e>|iial to treating tlie auriferous deposits rapidly. Hut before that stage was reached the precaution Has taken of prospecting the area very completely. This was done so thoroughly that u. considerable tract ~f

gl'ollml was proved to he gold hearing for a good average depth. The n,n-chi.-iolis reached as a result of I lie prospecting o)erati,,Us have heell home out Very 11111 V I<y the e.\ perjeliees Otvr llie period llm dredge has I working. • hie conclusion reached was that the ground gave very even prospects >u,j unduly rich but of good average, so

thill- the success turned on tin- capability of the plant to turn over the ground in sufficient volume to give a return eipial to payable results. The plant was designed to that end, and it appears to have achieved the desired result. Operating now for a full three years is a very adequate test, of both plant and ground, and in both instances tlie result may he considered quite eonriming. The dredge lias stood up to the ordeal remarkably well. For so long a period there have been not any serious delays, and the wheels have been kept in motion remarkably well. The percentage of lost time in relation to the nature of tin* ground must be very low. Quite as satisfactory, if not more so hits been tin' maintenance of the gold returns. It was rmnutttieod yesterday that the .gold yield for the previous three weeks had been I,OIK) uses., and this line return suggests that tlie returns are keeping up remarkably well. The satisfactory experience so close at hand seems to be encouraging the successful company to try other parts and in those quarters tin' prospects are said to be not discouraging. This means that successful gold dredging is likely to remain an importnut industry in this neighbourhood for a long time to conic. It has been a belief t lint there is much auriferous ground about the old diggings which will well repay the attention h.v the effective use of modern machinery and the experience now going forward at South Hokitika fully justifies that feeling of optimism in regard to our gold resources. The return just obtained at R.imu Flat is greater than in the palmy days of the gold field when tlie re were fifty or more claims at work. And that return, there is every reason to believe, will lie maintained. This fact should give renewed eoulideiiee regarding the mining potentialities of the district. The wealth won is of a class "'hieh means a general degree of prosperity because of the variety of labor employed in its production. That it is to so continue is a matter of the greatest local satisfaction to the community at large.