PROSPECTING TRIP

Hokitika Guardian, 23 June 1933, Page 6

PROSPECTING TRIP

RESULT OF WILBERFORCE WORK. Awaiting report of samplesCHRISTCHURCH, June 22. If : the Dominion l.’juratory report on the s mpies of .ore from the reefs | ■and river wash' taken •:» the -Wilber- j. force district i‘.s satisfactory, the Unemployment Board will consider sending more men to tho workings in the spring. This- fact is disclosed in a . statement made on behalf of the board . concerning .the recent prospecting ex- ; ■pedition. T, n its capacity as a geological survey , party the expedition cost less than was usually the case, says the statement. A,« a means of giving employment to the unemployed who constituted it,? rank and file, its usefulness was unquestioned. As rn investigatory •proiecf to determine the possibility of establishing reef mining for larger number* of unemployed it vva; 3 well worth while. The location and extent of the mineralised zone wore mapped • and recorded, and a; starting point provided fop any private enterprise' th ; i| might fallow * - Tt was shown- That ■ there- is' a definite origin 'for the widespread traces of gold, other than reefs, east of the main divide, and a! 'lead has been given to futiv’e- operations to the south and north that are most ltikely to repay fnrthc r -attention. • * '' / f i Tho object • rif the expedition ' AVa's primarily 'to • tosp the' po'si!>ility opening up reefs' for the absorption' of unemployed, and iacidenia'ly. pn’opei'ly fo map arid, record its investigations f°r j the guidance of future projects. The expedition was organised through the Ashburton County Council. It left Aehbnrton on March 13 ' and returned there on Mav 23. when weather condition,-; on the high country put a stop to further work. During that- time, under arduous conditions, the WTberforee watershed was tested and the main mineralised zone t.irafe-d; thoroughly tested, end mapped from Mount Harman to the Mathias watershed, a total distance of fifteen miles. The' technical .mining survey' work was carried out by • an experiencedmining engineer included in the personnel; and the general direction of the expedition was 'in the hands of an engineer on loan from the Public 'Works Department. All food supplies,, stores arid equipirierij: were purchased on the best terms bv the Ashburton County Council on behalf of., the. Unemployment IMfird. The average cost for each man for food was less than 13?. 6d a. week.