ROSS PROSPECTING ASSOCIATION

Hokitika Guardian, 28 October 1931, Page 8

ROSS PROSPECTING ASSOCIATION

PRESIDENT’S REPORT. Gentlemen :—I returned from a week's visit to Christchurch on Saturday and no matter where you went you found large numbers of men out of work. In spite of the work of the various committees there are many men tramping the streets unemployed. The difficulty is to find reproductive work for them to do. The question is how can we help to get some of these men profitably employed, able to support themselves and their families. ■’

This Association was formed not only to help ourselves, our own town, but to help unskilled workers so that they may become efficient and self-supporting. The time has now come when we will have to consider a change of programme. All eyes are now turned on the goldfields and I believe that with some of our loeai miners as leaders of small prospecting parties, quite a number of unskilled workers can be absorbed.

Leaders would require to be practical miners with local knowledge, capable oi laying out work, preparing plans and supervising. We are very fortunate in having a field second to none in this Dominion which is capable of employing in one claim alone no less than some 300 men.

•In the past the surface has only been scratched about from some of the claims in the town. The water has beaten many a hardy miner in the past, but to-day we have an example at Donoghues of what an oil engine can do in pumping water So that miners can work and win the golden grains. When prospecting proves that the ground is payable, a IRuston crude oil engine is capable of doing the job economically. With so many men unemployed, is it any wonder that we ask “What is the Mines Department doing to find reproductive work for the unemployed. ’ They say that Ross is a good old “has been,’’ that we are classed—She also ran us rise from our ashes and show them that there is more gold in Westland still than has ever come out of her. Some say it is no use sending unemployed to look for gold, that may be—some of them—but some of them want work and if a Chinaman is capable of winning gold surely we can by sending out parties with an experienced leader, instruct them how to work, so that when they strike payable gold they will become self-supporting, no longer in need of relief funds. A Dominion wide effort is now being made to find' reproductive work for the unemployed so that they may return and become once more an asset to the country instead of a drain on the rest of the community. Now that the Emergency Tax hais been levied on those who are still’ in work, it behoves us to strain every effort to get the workless into harness again. When in Christchurch last week T interviewed Mr Climie (a member of the Unemployment Board), Mr Neville and Mr Fames (Town Clerk and Assistant), Mr Beaniarid (the Chairman of Unemployment Committee) Mr Bailey (Labour Department). All of these gentlemen gave me a good hearing and when 1 explained by medium of maps and extracts from the Mikonui Geological survey by Dr Belf and Mr Percy Morgan, they’ agreed that a scheme to absorb some of the' unemployed would be welcome. •

Mr Beanland explained that the City Council had to find material for the unemployed in making the roads with the result that their estimates had been exceeded and although their allocation of over £IOOO was there, the trouble was to find work that would be reproductive and yet not require material which they had to provide. Every Borough and City Council appears to be in the same boat and it is very likely that special legislation will have to be brought down to deal with this aspect of our difficulties. I asked .how many miners were registered on their books, but at the moment they did not know. They would be in favour of sending over about 20 men if this Association would assist. I suggested that if their Committee would provide the funds from their allocation we would appoint leaders of parties to go out and prospect for gold in promising localities. Their reply was to the effect that if we made application as the Ross Prospecting Association they would deal with it at the next meeting. I was informed that they would get tents from the Defence Department for the men and that they were in favour of the men being sent into the back country during the summer. I would suggest that we now make a list of requirements for these men. We should also interview the County Council and get the prospecting tracks opened up at once. I am, etc., JOHN MURDOCH, President.