The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 1930. A MATERIAL ASSET.

Hokitika Guardian, 5 December 1930, Page 4

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 1930. A MATERIAL ASSET.

The great, nut to su.y, vast stand of timwcr in Westland, is a material asset, tno value or which appreciates as til© years rod by. A writer in an Auckland paper, refers to tile tail timber m w'tsuand, and the article is reproduced in another column. The writer has first hand knowledge of the great stores of nullable timber in !jouth Westland, and rightly apprises it at its great value. It appears that of late, several milters from the north have been busy spying out the timber resources of Soutn Westland. The supplies of white pine in the North Island are giving out, and a stalbie supply from some other source would he appreciated. On that account experienced visitors have been coining this way to note the possibilities for future supplies. The conclusions-reach-ed are altogether satisfactory. The latest recorded verdict by an experienced visitor, is that there is enough native timber on the West Coast to last the whole of New Zealand for the next hundred years. This estimate confirms experienced local opinion, though Government officials in the past have been content to limit the duration of the timber supply to only two or three decades. ’Palpably that was an error, and it would be interesting to know how far that misinformation has delayed the'opening up of the timber lands in the south, One Government at least fought sHy of extending the railway beyond Ross t.i tap the timber belts, and private enterprise had to take up the task. Also, at Okarito, although an early government was disposed to do something to improve the port for shipping, the fact remains that succeeding governments have done nothing l hut authorise engineers’ reports the only use for which has been to crowd the official pigeon holes. Yet by mil and port a great industry can be developed in the south, and one that is essential for the material welfare of other /parts of the New Zealand ns time goes on. In the article quoted elsewhere, there is very properly n tilt at the importation of Oregon pine to the exclusion of Dominion timbers, and the stagnation of the milling timber. What is happening in that respect is akin to the importation of coal to the disadvantage of the local production, and when complaint raised, the imports have been 1 educed substantially. Judging hv what is happening to the timber trade as a ie. suit of oversea imports, n material reduction is also necessary. What with the importation of the favourably produced and transported timber', and the slump in business generally, there is a serious situation facing the milling trade, In both Islands" the industry is stagnant. What it means to the Coast may be realis ed from the fact that the production now is probably not twenty-five per cent of the capacity of the mills. If this state of affairs were to continue indefinitely timber as an asset could l>o gnaged as lasting centuries hcie instead”of a hare one hundred years as forecasted bv a late visitor. But we can look forward hopefully for better times. The country will escape from the present slump, and there will then be full (justification to expect, the means to be provided to develop the possible timber trade in the south. Certainly, while matters a.re at a standstill at present, timber is not a wasting asset. . The native hush is maturing year bv year, and unless a forward land settlement scheme wore to go ahead, very little of it will he destroyed hv clearing. In that respect there is some little satisfaction, though if there were facilities for export more land in the south would he cleared and the areas turned into pasture land, and stock rearing aiul dairying expand. There would thus | >e a double return for progress along such lines, and if the two matteis could go hand in hand it would mean a great deal in the material prosperity of Westland.

It is interesting to note that an important mining enterprise in South Westland will be advanced an important stage to-morrow when the hull for the .Five Mile Creek dredge will be launched into the lagoon, from which it is to operate. This is an important step in a mining venture of considerable promise. Gold has been recovered on the South Westland beach, es over many years, and the Three and Five Mile beaches south of Okarito were among the richest. In Mr A. J. Harrop’s book on early Westland he writes: “In the early times a mini her of men were working on the beach about three miles south of Okarito. Some rich surfacing was thrown up and the men reaped rich harvest. It was thought that the gold had come from' a bag of gold lost in transport from the Five Mile, but the quantity recovered far exceeded the original amount lost. The gold is supposed to have come down the Waiho river.” Tn the palmy days of the Five Mile, it is said'there were .TKX) miners on the field and rich yields were obtained. The prospecting operations by the present enterprse have dipped below where the miners of old worked, and the prospects obtained were enticing enough to launch the present mining company. Mr B. T. Stewart, the well known mining engineer of Otago, is in charge of the present scheme, which hns been an ambitious one, in that heavv development work has been carried out. Water lias been procured from Lake Alpine and conducted to the claim by a long connecting pipeline which involved much labour in construction. While the hull hns been building, the site for the location for the dredge has been opened out by a svstem of blow-no and elevating, in the course of which steady gold returns have been obtained. As soon as the dredge is launched i+ « equipment will he put in hand, the bulk of the machinery being on the ground. It is pleasing at this juncture particularly, to chronicle gold mining enterprises of tliis nature. The rich returns of the early days justify tlie belief in the gold deposits at lower levels than worked previously, and that belief lias been justified since by a system of cross prospecting. The Company has had a good deal to contend with in the matter of access, hut the hope of reward has spurred on the Company, and the enterprise is now passing practically the last milestone on the way to 'ultimate success. The best of good wishes will go out to those promoting this important enterprise and all will hope to see the most sanguine expectations realised.