MINISTER OF MINES

Hokitika Guardian, 28 May 1932, Page 5

MINISTER OF MINES

WESTLAND TOUR

DEPUTATIONS RECEIVED

The Hon. C. E. Macmillan, Minister.of -Mines, who lias been in South Westland since Wednesday morning returned from Waiho yesterday afternoon and went on to 'Greymouth last evening. The Minister leit this morn- | nig overland for Invercargill, j W hil 0 in South Westland a number pf deputations met the Minister. At Whuekn, a. deputation consisting of Messrs M. Sul.ivan, J. Sullivan and h lank Alack tusked for aid in constructing a road to Gillespie’s Beach, seven and a, half miles' away, to enable machinery to be transported to the beach in order to - construct a nfew dredge to work deposits near the beach. The cost of the road is estimated at £3OOO. The opinion that the company was a genuine one was expressed by the Minister in his reply; and! he stated that he was in complete sympathy with the proposal and would impress upon the Minister of Employment the advantages of this

project as a means of employing labour. He would recommend to Mr G'oates that, if possible, assistance be granted from the unemployment relief funds.

At Matainui a deputation of prospectors waited on the Minister, when it was stated that first class samples of gold have been found in the last few weeks near the foot of the Wataroa Glacier, where twenty-five prospectors, including half-a-dozen Christchurch men, are located. Their camps

are situated from eight to twenty-fivo miles up the Wataroa Gorge, the farthest inland being almost at the edge of the Glacier. Much of this country lias never been previously explored, and the prospectors have to traverse rugged and precipitous hillsides and riverbed in order to get likely gold-bearing places. To get to tlie foot of the glacier, where some gold is being found, takes five days and a half. The prospectors have to carry all their own .stores and on the first few miles rocks as big a.s twostoreyed houses have to be climbed. The prospectors are making £2 10s to £3 a week, but the time lost in carrying in supplies reduces the profits to the men.

A request was made for assistance in cutting a. track. Tlie Minister promised to seek tlie assistance of the Minister of Employment for funds to cut a track.

Mr A. Dehn, (a farmer, of Matarnui) who made a prospecting trip into the area, described the difficulties which 'beset prospectors. He pointed out that a party of men, probably with experience in quartz mining, could make at 'least the cost of their food. All the men asked for was "help to cut the track up to the gold-bearing regions. Ho produced samples of gold as the best coarse gold in WestlandThe gold was found in the glacial moraine, and it was believed that the gold was brought by glacial action from a quartz reef, as the gold was similar to big nuggets found in the Cal’ery Gorge, which was fed from the same ice stream as the Wataron. Mr Dehn said that one man who was merely looking the country over found a nugget weighing five pennyweights. The Minister also heard a deputation from the sett’ers, asking for a grant fqr river protection. Mr Macmillan promised to have the position investigated to see if the land was worth saving. Later Mr Macmillan visited Harihari, where he heard representations regarding the protection of land from river erosion and the drainage of swamp land. •