The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7, 1929. GOLD RESOURCES.

Hokitika Guardian, 7 December 1929, Page 4

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7, 1929. GOLD RESOURCES.

Pkcknt correspondence published in both the Christchurch and Wellington newspapers with regard to the auriferous deposits in Westland reminds us that there is still a. good deal of latent interest extent as to the future of gold mining in this territory. AVestland is very highly mineralised and the g dd won on the Coast lias run to many millions in value. In this part of the district, alluvial gold-mining lias been the child' source of supply. There lias been many theories advanced as to where the gold came from and how it was deposited, followed by many questions as to the depth it may yet lie recoverable from. So-called doeplcnds may lie but false bottoms, with deeper leads below. There has never been a full tes.t of what treasure. might, lie below. Mr A. I*. Harper in the Wellington Post last Mon-

day, broached this aspect of this in-

triguing subject, and ho considers there is an untried gold held below, still waiting discovery and recovery. The question is, lie says, whether the ro-'-alled ‘‘bottom” is not possibly a false bottom, and, if so, what thickness it is. Now, if the theory is correct that there were two periods oi maximum ice extension with a long period of retreat intervening, then it seems reasonable to suppose that the first great ice extension deposited a large accumulation of morainic matter, which was subsequently coveted by the marine formation deposited when the sea followed the ice inland during retreat 'pin'd this In turn was Intel* on again covered by another huge depos.t of moraine during the second period of maximum ice extension. Thus you have the present West Coast gold fields lying on a marine “formation,” which in turn wjas super-i.Tiposcd on an earlier but similar deposit of moraine. In other words,_ it is really a false bottom and covers another auriferous layer probably richer than the- top layer, which has produced such large quantities of gold. No data exists for estimating the thickness of this supposed false bottom. '! he deep levels at Ross are, lie believes, sunk in slip country and do not settle this big question. AA’liat is required is the selection, by geologist.-:, of one or two likely spots and then by diamond drilling to test the thickness of this marine layer or bottom and see what lies below it. The cost would not lie prohibitive, and the discovery of rich auriferous “wash” r.t a. deeper level would be of such national importance as to warrant the test of a theory, which Dr Mackintosh Bell in his ofßeia reports admits to he a “sane idea.” These views are certainly along lines which will commend them to those with a knowedge of the goldfields. The opening up of the matter, again reminds us tha,t the Government is very remiss in relation to the furtherance of gold-mining on a grand scale. During the seventy odd years that New Zealand has been settied, gold to the value of upwards of ninety-five millions has been won This return means a great industrial impetus to the country. Without the discovery of gold New Zealand to-day would have been a very backward country. It was the gold rushes ,to Auckland, Otago, AVostland and Nelson, which brought about the rapid influx of population, and provided the consumers for so much of the local produce, that ill regard to hot|i settlement ami industry, trade and intercourse received so great a fillip. The possibilities of a gold revival are quite on the cards, and for that reason it. would be worth while the Government venturing, ,somewhat to test the theories of the geological experts as to the gold bearing localities, and probing the deeper ground to find what treasure is bid below. The stable price of gold, combined with the higher costs of producing it nowadays, has been the drawback to private enterprise of late, and so it seems a national duty for the State to undertake idle proof or otherwise of the latent prospects. 'Flic Government assists with lavish subsidies many forms of production and the same good office might he done for gold mining if only in appreciation of what the industry has done for New Zealand. Then .there would lie always the chance of the discovery of

a new field flic working of which might he possible with cheap electric power, and that factor would go a long way to remove in a very permanent manner a large proportion of the unemployment evil of to-day.