MINING IN N.Z.

Hokitika Guardian, 24 June 1926, Page 3

MINING IN N.Z.

WILD CAT SCHEMES. LONDON’, M:iv S. The New Zen la nil correspondent ol the “.Mining Jmiriiiif’ writes at length of the great success of the New Zealand Exhibition, and lie sends a summary of the speeches at the Dominion Mining Conference dinner In dealing with the different expressions of opinion, especially with the utterances of Professor Park and Mr Hanks, the correspondent is wholly in accord wil.li their views reminding clean mining. “Wild-cat schemes. ’’ he says, “continue to appear upon the New Zealand markets unmolested, some being fully subscribed ; ot hers go to allotment on a 10,001) snare sale, trusting that later the public will be induced to take up the unsold shares, and thus continue along lines of hope that something will turn up in the mine to create public excitement and set loose some of the ‘wild-oi.it’ shares, 1 his class of mine promotion lias been ilio greatest set-back to New Zealand. It. is time the Government- took a hand in forcing ventures out of action, and assisting approved mines that will stand 'at least a fair measure of promise and assurance that such a mine is worthy of the general public’s consideration. “The Government of New Zealand are only waking up ill respect to their mining industry, and it is the general opinion tint the present -Minister of Mines, the Hon. G. J. Anderson, is the only Minister that has a live grasp of the'requirements of mining in this Dominion. Credit must be given to the Government for the liberal financial assistance, which has been granted to several companies during the past few yejirs, thought it cannot he said that the companies so benefited were enabled to output metals in sufficient quantity to- reimburse the Government by the assistance enumerated. However, it is satisfactory to know that liberal assistance is offered by the Government to any legitimate mine -'tat warrants the judicious expenditure of capital.’’ prospecting. The correspondent is not altogether in agreement with the Minister of Mines regarding the proposed system of scientific prospecting, which he asserts will prove beneficial over the

methods of the past. Ho proposes that prospecting parties should have gemooists closely supervising all the work undertaken by the party, and thattheir general direction should be strictly adhered to The “Mining -lournal” representative regrets that ho cannot find any evidence in the ('.civ logical Department's work in past surveys in New Zealand where any experienced miner would find gold, yet the Minister proposes that n geologist should head the prospecting parties irrespective of the experience and ability of the miners comprising them. Tf the Minister would direct an experienced prospector to undertake the systematic exploration of any given area and see that the work was carried’out- systematically, confidence is felt that good finds of metals would be recorded; then, when that had oeen accomplished, the geologist could be brought into the business, where his advice from a scicntifie viewpoint would probable prove of service.