GOLD PROSPECTS

Hokitika Guardian, 16 September 1930, Page 2

GOLD PROSPECTS

PROMISING IN SOUTH WESTLAND.

Gold is a magic word, and it has not lost its attractions in South Westland. The district is known' to be highly mineralised, and those with the bent for gold mining, are always ready to turn attention to the south When reports ol fresh prospects are reported. The golden beach leads, and contiguous inland leads in the Okarito -locality particularly attract. In the palmy days of the early mining rushes,- fabulous returns were quickly won in that neighbourhood find the future in not without hope oi repeating the good yields.

The Five Mile dredging proposition is at present the centre of attraction in respect to possible mining developments. There, a well organised proposition is now being'launched. 'I he preliminary prospecting and the tonfir mu tory results of the opening out of the claim, all promise a good yield oi" gold. This claim which is held largely in Dunedin, is umW the managiership of Mr 11. T. Stewart, ol Dunedin, and shares in the company are already at two shillings premium. The beach leads are to be dredged, permitting of a much greater depth of working limn was possible in the palmy days already referred to. For the purpose of more effective working, tlur wateis of Lake Alpine-, an elevated reservoir, have boon harnessed, and appear to have been .provided by nature as a natural source of power for the beach leads. 'lhcre arc some twenty .men now employed at the Claims,, busy building pontoons and preparing for the active dredging operations .expected to take place jn the now year. Local residents have faith in the ultimate gold-field, while the. (promoters of the scheme are wed satisfied as to t!)< ; ultimate success, Ivy the ricili prospects obtained when sampling the ground—prospects confirmed noiv by the larger operations in hand in preparing a dant site whence to begin the ddedgiug. Another proposition of local interest in the neighbourhood of Okarito, is the Gold Development Coy. on the eastern side of Okarito Lagoon, where prospecting operations are going ahead steadily. This is a maiden area said to be somewhat rough after the fiature of Rimu Elat, and carrying heavy alluvial gpld. The prospects so far won have been obtained by hand boring, which has been slow and difficult owing to heavy ground and the depth. The bores have been put down to about forty feet without reaching the bottom, and a Government boring rtinchine is now being obtained to carry on a more effective test Mr W. Wood is in charge of the works at present, and those who have inspected the locality npeak highly of it as a promising proposition.' If the prospecting returns oome up to expectatjpns, there js .likely to be launched another dredging company for the district. The locality is easy of approach by water way ho’' that there will not be any transport difficulties to overcome In getting plant and material right on to the site of the gold workings, ''That the beach leads are not by any mentis worked out, one settler at North Okarito lately recovered fortyseven ounces of gold won on a few tides. Returns of this kind confirm the stories of the cnrly days when rich returns of gold were obtained in a few days, Further south of the Waiho river, attention is being turned to the beaches at AVakukupa and Oemoeroa, and prospecting areas were granted at the late sitting of the AA r arden’s Court. The Gillespies beach is also in favour as a dredging proposition. Some alluvial prospectors are out also in the back country between the AVaikukupa and Oemoeroa rvers. The Cal levy continues to yield good specimens, also, to those who venture into the'difficult back country. There is no doubt if some special inducement could be given to encourage more enterprise in the way of gold-mining, the industry would be given a special fillip. There are many parts of AVeptland which would be tried out. Boring operations are in progress at the Mikonui river lied also, which shows that the spirit of enterprise is neither dead nor dormant. Gold so pervades the territory of AVestland that it must, as in the dayp of yore, play an important part, not only in the prosperity of the district, but us a material aid to the country’s prosperity. AATth the present evidence of more internal interest in mining developments up and down the district, and particularly in South Westland, the first fruits of our hopes foi a prospering mining future, should not be long delayed.