GOLD MINING

Hokitika Guardian, 28 January 1933, Page 2

GOLD MINING

NEW VENTURES. MINISTER'S EXPECTATIONS. AVELIiING TON, ajmiary 25. A striking illustration of the extent of the gold-seeking revival in New Zealand is given in figures released' by the Minister for Mines', jfchft Hon.' ,0. •If; i M«e.inilln.n, to-day. : ’ Although' pmdi-'-o figures'' .showing the. a amount , of gold exported from Neat' .•’Zeal.’nd la d. year are not yet ■ a vailable, it has keen ascertained that the- amount of gold o') Id to the banks during that IXt'ml '.vs 105,827 ounces, the value bring £7(!{),595. 'l iie value ol the gold exported, and the value of the gold so Id to the hanks aininte very clrse'y, so that a fairly ldiahle comparison with the I rcvioii l .-: years can he made. For instance, in 11)31 the gold exported was 13<),{)74 ounces, and the value was £577,012. The substantial increase i-' attributed largely to the number of man v.ho have Lurned to se°k.ng g"ld in I’uvfor'mec t'i becoming a- charge on the unemployment funds. Lrii.vt year’s figures exceed those of any recent similar period. The nearest approach to them was made in

1923, when the gold exported was 169,312 ounces, valued at £098,533. NUMBER OF PROSPECTORS. Two years ago, in January, 1931, the number of people selling gold was 79. However, with the deepening of the depression, the number of prospers tons greatly increased, an impetus lfting given to the movement by the fact that in a season of falling prices gdd was among th-a very few commodities which grew in value. Thus by December, 1931, 120 people were selling gr id, and by Dove. nber 1932, the number had increased by 1108. During, that month the'average for each man, was £l3 7s 3d, which is the highest in any month since the gold rush days of the last century.

The Uutlov-S-ccretary for Mines, Mr \. Jf. Kimbell, sni-d to-day that there liad|not for many yearly bet n so much .activity among gokl' 'prospectors as thole was at the pyppcnt time. The search for gold had been intensified to a. remarkable extent during, the past year, and there was every expectation that this year’s export value, of the metal would be £I,OO-9,000 or over. .Various interests were on the point of starting extensive operations, and the production of gold would be increased considerably as a result, especially as each venture would Have a large output. ■EXTENSIVE OPERATIONS. A dredging company would he starting work on tile West Coast within the next month, on an area previously bored oiily with a drill, said Mr KimI oil. Another large company with headquarters in the Ota on district would also be producing about the same time, and the output from thesetwo ventures would have- the effect of increasing gold production by a fairly large amount. Within about three mouths, another dredge would be working in the Murchison district, and tin’s would also swell the volume of the output. It was certain that gold production would increase each month throughout this year. There was greater activity in boring and testing than for many years. Within about -six weeks the Department would have an-oitheir five drill's in operation, three of these having been bought with the funds of the Unemployment Board.

MR PAYNE’S VIEWS’.

SCOPE'FOiR iwEL’STRY

CHRISTCHURCH, January 26.

That -there is scope in New Zealand for the continuous development of gold mining as an established industry „is the view hold by Mr F. G. Payne, a. member of the well-known firm of F. W. Payne and Son, consulting engineers, London, who- is investigating matters relating to the development of alluvial goldfields in New Zealand with modern dredging plant. There has been -such an iinprov'ement in the efficiency of dredging machines that it is now. possible to work ground that formerly Was of too low a grade for profitable exploitation, Mr Payne said, and in view of the condition of the country at the present time it would be much in New Zealand’s interests to have her big gold resources worked on as large a scale as possible. The Dominion. bad an as-set in extensive gold deposits which the majority of countries would envy, ancl which -they would not lie slow to utilise, (particularly when conditions 1 were so much in favour of the extension of the industry.

Mr Payne had a warning for companies in New Zealand who are contemplating dredging ventures : with second-hand machinery. It was in the best inerests of dredging companies here to spend a little extra capital in obtaining up-to-date appliances, rather than to resuscitate second-hand plant, he said. There was a tendency in New Zealand to utilise old dredges in new ventures, hut lie felt, and very sincerely, that a big mistake was being made. There was much danger that the use of inefficient machinery would lead to disappointment and 1 injury to the industry.

BEACH-COMBERS ACTIVE. When Mr Payne visited the We.-it Coast recently lie was impressed with the activity of beach-combers, who ar* frequently winning fair returns from the black sand deposits. When asked if lie •thought it possible to apply mechanical means on a large scale for the recovery of this gold, be stated that the difficulty was in the varying location of the gold-bearing sand, which is washed on to the beaches during high tides. Mr Payn e recently returned from a visit to Australia, and after a few days in Christchurch will leave for the Otago goldfields, where be will make close investigations extending- over some weeks.