The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. SATURDAY, AUGUST 21, 1920. MINING MATTERS.

Hokitika Guardian, 21 August 1926, Page 2

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. SATURDAY, AUGUST 21, 1920. MINING MATTERS.

it Mas quite reiresning to near miring maticis releneu to at tne recent county meeting, .•.ining lias neon allowed to driit into tne ..ncKgi omul and

us service in tne past m cieating the prosperity ot tne uistrict, seems to he lorgotteu. The practice seems to be to accept what the gods give with ready open hands, but when the giving ends, that is the finish. And yet we know mining in Westland cannot i.e done and snould not he considered something of the past. Rather should wc regard mining as something «ith a great future before it, and interest should not lay' in the effort to do something which "ill assist to keep mining in the forefront. At the County meeting, Mr Murdoch raised a protest against the Mines Department’s action in increasing the cost of mining by adding unduly to the fees chargeable for applications covering the granting of milling rights. Mining is an industry which has been of profound benefit to Sew Zealand as a whole. Now, when the industry is to some extent waning, the Department seeks to add to the cost of working instead of taking the other action ot doing something to encourage opera- ! tions rather than to discourage. It may he said there is little hope of mining development just now, but that is no reason why effort to advance the industry should he negative. Indeed, it is all the more reason why there should be a positive effort to promote the welfare of the industry. It is impossible to believe that the gold yield is exhausted. Where gold mining is carried on still there are many instances of good returns which are in themselves encouraging to the belief that the future of mining can lie a rich one. One phase of the present situation presents itself. That. is. that the value of sterling is stationary, while the cost of operating has soared tremendously. There is not at the moment the same profit in gold-mining there once was. Everything is up—plant, material, wages—yet the commodity itself remains at a stable value. It is not too much to hope when prices drop again, and they are shaping in that direction Tfow, the gold-mining industry will come into its own again. With the fall in prices for working and operating mining ventures, allowing some reasonable margin for tbe undertaking. there should he a revival ir. gold-mining. In that day, the future of the industry will be such as to affect' once again the general welfare of the

country. As it is, those projects which arc now in liautl afford encouragement to tlie view expressed. What is being done in this neighbourhood, and in other parts of the Coast, show that the days'of alluvial gold working arc not past. Yesterday some hint was given of the prospecting in regard 'to the southern beaches. There is no doubt with effective gold saving appliances, and the means for treating the beach sands on a large scale, much treasure will lie won from that quarter. An adaptable plant, neither costly to work nor difficult to transport, will prove very profitable when in use along the sea, beaches. In a primitive way. much “gold is won from time to time, but by adopting improved methods the returns should be increased enormously. Dredging has great possibilities, and what is being demonstrated now with the high cost of production, show the rich returns possible under more favorable costing conditions. Matters in regard to gold-mining may be quiet at this juncture, but the position can be explained, and it is only of a temporary character. The rich country is hero still, and it is only a matter of encouraging exploitation to give the results desired. The Government should be. the first to assist to that end, and one method would he to frame regulations which will be helpful and not designed to be discouraging to the miner to go afield and discover the scene for a new rush.