The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1931. PROSPECTING

Hokitika Guardian, 23 October 1931, Page 4

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1931. PROSPECTING

The present search for gold in the district, now becoming so general, deserves all possible encouragement. As a means of meeting unemployment in part, it should be made a national aid, a.n not merely an auxiliary. With gold at its present advanced value there is more encouragement to prospect for it. lit is true, too, that plant and equipment have now fallen in price. The time seems opportune for a definite policy to assist in the production and development of gold mining. Some districts are already establishing their own prospecting associations which is a step in the right direction but a national rather than a district effort would be more commendable at this stage. In his lave broadcast, Mr Cortes referred briefly to the increased activities in gold mining, but as the industry provides such a ready mealns of absorbing labour the Unemployment Board in conjunction with the Mines Department should formulate a definite scheme and maite tiie details public. The country could well afford also to offer n reward for the discovery of a new goldfield on the lines of earlier rewards, and that interest would be art incentive for more active prospecting in new country. The alluvial gold mining activities in particluar, are a great add to prosperity. The gold miner is a very general consumer, and to meet his requirements most industries would find an outlet. It is certainly to the advantage cf the country as a whole to see gold mining develop at this juncture. This is a time when pastoral products encounter a fallen market with hut little prospect of an early rise. This fact restricts greatly the inflow of money for the exports. With gold, every ounce produced is on addition to the public wealth, and the increased price now being received for geld, there is ail the more reason for 0 over nine ! support, in fact, initiative, in regard . prospecting for gold, 'P*e fnet that hedr • in the district are yielding return : on deeper levels than these formerly corked, suggests that even on worked out fields, prospecting for deeper leads might bring a reward.

The possibilities are such that the experiment might well be made, and as the Mines Department owns plant suitable for the purpose, it would be helpful if such were placed at the disposal of those enterprising enough to attempt deep lead prospecting. The district in the past has yielded large returns of gold, but in most cases it wa s the easily worked ground. It has be. n proved at Ross Flat and e Pew hero, that the deep leads exist, and other auriferous Flats up and down the Coast might well be tiied. The. times are such that a fillip in gold mining would be a very-happy issue, and anything that cain he done to assure development and expansion of the industry should find favour with trie authorities hoping for a return to mining prosperity.