MINING.

Hokitika Guardian, 16 September 1931, Page 2

MINING.

VICTORIAN GOLD' BOOM.

Gold production is rapidly increasing jn New aouth Wales and Victoria, particularly in Victoria. Figures recently issued by the Victorian Director of Geological .Survey, 'Mr W. Baragwanath, Revealed that during the past 18 months gold' to ,: th'a value of £198,456 has been .--.won by 6900-prospectors, in the State. While in 1930 just over £102,000 worth *';6f gold was taken, in the last six months over £96,000 been found. New reefs wererconstantly being .reported, and nuggets of from' 10oz to ■3ooz, were found practically every day. The larges^.within recent weeks came A from the Crystal Beef, Neilborough, and weighed 560 z 19dwt. It had been named "The Registrar’s Delight.” Mr Baragwanath t hoped to see a strong industry develop, and ,the reassuring news of four more rich reefs., discovered during the week backed up his optimism. PROSPECTING. ; The increased attention which has been devoted to gold prospecting as a result of the unemployment situation, demonstrates very forcibly that there is still plenty of the precious metal to be found on the long-neglected Marlborough goldfields (says the Marlborough Express). Attention was' recently directed the activities of a number of amateur nuneis f in the Waikakaho stream and its tributaries where quite a number of men are securing better wages than could x be ; obtained under the unemployment relief schemes, and a reporter recently learned i that similar operations in the Waka-

marina field are meeting with success

In this valley prospectors are at work in the creek beds, and in search of the

eUsive mother lode in the hillsides, and m jst of them are doing well enough to

justify a continuance of their operations, y;. ssrs Wicks and party, who have been testing a drive in the hillside for three or four months, are reported to have st.uck quite a good reef, and it is understood that capital has been secured for the erection of a crushing plant, which is expected to be put into operation inthe near future. Among the other Wakamarina parties, it is understood that Messrs Ward and Maronev conveyed £3OO worth of gold to Nelson a month ago. It was secured from an alluvial claim in Wakamarina River at the rear of the Deep Creek Post Office. These partners have been making a good living in the vicinity for about three years. It should be emphasised, once again, t-hat there have been discoveries, eithrr at WGkakabo or Wakamarina, to justify extravagant hopes of the gct-r’.ch-quick variety, and there is certainly no room on the fields for those who are notprepared to work hard, and to v.orx •long hours, but the gold is there and in sufficient quantities to make the revived “diggings” very attractive to those who have nothing better to do and are not

afraid to rough it and to toil under . arduous OKARITO RETURNS. DUNEDIN, September 14. The return for the week ended September 12 from the Oknrito Five-Mil© Beach Gold Dredging Company, Ltd., was 460 z, representing 118 hours’ work,