WEST COAST GOLD

Hokitika Guardian, 16 April 1932, Page 3

WEST COAST GOLD

POSSIBILITIES OF THE FUTURE. ENGLISH ENGINEER’S VIEWS. CHRISTCHURCH, April 16. “The West Coast has always been y good gold-producing country, and theie is no doubt that gold in large quanti ties still awaits th e application of more gold to bring it to the light of day,” said Mr F. W. Pavue, an English mining engineer, in an .interview. Air Payne has returned to New Zealand on tour after an absence of ahum thirty years, and lie has been visiting the West Coast. He predicted tiuu large dredging operations would be undertaken on the Oast in the near future, also making the suggestion that money spent in improving the lirrhoiu at Okarito would he well repaid in the saving on the transport of mining machinery.

“The amount of gold already won from this country can he looked upon as some indication of the possibilities still awaiting development,” said ATr Payne, “but a note of warning is still possibly needed as to the development of gold ventures. In this regal'd the methods adopted in prospecting, and, the results of the dredging in the Fed crated Ala lay States, where very lev' failures have attended dredging ven tures, may well he studied. This success has been largely due to the ex-' tensive and somewhat expensive prospecting operations that have been insisted upon before actual mining oper ations have been attempted. “The alluvial gold areas of the West-, (-oast and tb<- ve'|ev> ~f M;“" are of a very different nature, and the methods of prospect in tr possible in Ala lay are not applicable to the Coast, and it is probable that prosneetmg wi'l be more expensive to conduit- on the Coast.

Empire Wants Geld. “However, the Empire wants gold, and New Zealand canp- reduce it, anu it is not iViisoiuitile to suppose tluu tlie initial difficulties both m regard tn prospecting and in tiie matter or tliiiusuig of capital, will be- allowed to etard progress for long.

Work lor Unemployed. “One matter that might well claim the immediate attention of the Government, in search of work for unemployed, is the little port of Okarito,' he concluded. “The judicious spending of a reasonable sum won id piobabiy result in a useful harbour to which mining machinery could be shipped alio Inch would save long and expensive road transport. “Irrespei five of this, which might le looked upon a .s somewhat problematical, there is the huge quantity ol splendid timber that could be shipped Tom this locality. 'l’llis in itself should provide for interest and sinking runii on ail the, capital,.inquired, and so : the iriginal expense would not be a burden on the State. This is considered, at ny rate, worth some further investigation.”