ROSS DEPUTATION

Hokitika Guardian, 30 May 1932, Page 2

ROSS DEPUTATION

TO MINISTER OF MINERS

On his way up from Waiho on Friday last the Hon C. E. Macmillan met a deputation at Ross, led by Mr John Murdoch (Mayor). Mr Murdoch recommended that the unemployed of the district be organised and placed in the back-country to open up new gold fields. The Mines Department should appoint supervisors to conduct the organisation work. The Mikonui was the river valley suggested for exp.oraiion. Near Ross that river had been worked, and also tiie surrounding country, in the boom days, but the back-country fed from the same source and known to bear gold in fairly rich (qualities, bad remained untouched. The water-race could be reconditioned, and in the higher country the natural watershed provided an admirable supply for extensive sluicing operations if the area proved as high in' value as anticipated. In oue place in the region there wa.s a waterfall ,150 ft high, Ir men were employed ag suggested they could put down shafts to make thorough tests, in the .same region, at Veronica, from the William Tell reef, 175 ounces of gold had been secured since Christmas. It would seem that proof of gold by shafts might mean the opening up of another rich -field worthy of- the title “a second Kumara.” There were great potentialities. ' Mr A. H< Kimball, Under-Secretary for Mines,explained that similar subsidised unemployed work was being done in other parts of New Zealand, with success. A supervisor was put in charge of parties of from 30 to 40 men operating in onb particular region, with the object of carrying cut reliable tests. The result of similar schemes had been encouraging in Thames, Coromandel, Nelson, and Otago. In some instances ground had been trodden by the foot of man. If tile region of Mikonui were thus recommended and sufficient men were offering to make up a party, a subsidy would be given of 30s per week for married men and 15s per week for single men. In alluvial areas the men were to repay 10 per cent, of the gold won.. Another member of the deputation produced a nugget weighing a little over an ounce and a half, found in the riverbed 2000 yards from the main street of Ross. He expressed the opinion that there were great prospects in the ' back country of Mikonui, especially in the higher reaches. Mr J. O’Brien, M.P., .-aid that he considered the district mentioned for such supervision work one of the best on the Coast and it had been suggested that if water was brought on to the terraces a second Kumara field would be opened up. If that was so it : wopld be a wonderful thing. Ross had never put forward any wildcat schemes, and the present recommendation being result of earnest -study, was worthy of the closest investigation.

Mr Macmillan, replying to the deputation, said that he wag gratified to see the widespread interest on the West Coast in the gold-mining revival. It was to be hoped that ap, investigation would justify the sending in of a supervised party as suggested. The Department would send as s°on as possible a geologist to make a report on the tract mentioned with a view to gauging its potentialities.