KUMARA PROSPECTING ASSOCIATION.

Kumara Times, Issue 615, 17 September 1878, Page 2

KUMARA PROSPECTING ASSOCIATION.

The fortnightly meeting, of the Kumara Prospecting Association was held in the Town Hall last evening.... Present : Messrs Dungan (in the chair), Cuming, Geauy, Roach, O’Hara and. Wylde. ‘ ■ , The minutes of the two previous-; meetings were read and confirmed. Letters to the Minister of Lands and. E. Barff, Esq., M.H.R., also Report No. 5, were read as follow : ’ To the Hon. the Minister of Lands, Wellington. Sip—l have the honor to acknowledge receipt of letter from , the Under-Secre-tary for Goldfields in reply to my letter to you of the 31st July. i I am directed by the Prospecting Association to thank you for acceding to their request that a subsidy might be granted to them, but to request that the condition that the “ operations must be carried on not less than five miles from existing workings may be altered by changing the word “five" to “three.” In making this request I am directed to inform you that the five-mile condition would render the grant nugatory in Westland, as it would be almost impossible to find any alluvial ground five miles distant from existing workings; . ■ The Association is now engaged in prospecting a belt of country from four to five miles wide, situated between existing workings and the sea. It is the general belief that this belt of country contains gold, but miners cannot prospect it without aid, as the ground is deep and wet. The Association has sunk a shaft. 80 feet deep, and after employing six men at work continuously to get through a wet stratum of ground, which can be drained by a tail-race if gold is. found. They must, however, cease operations if aid is not obtained from the Government, and the result be that a large and promising tract of country will remain idle. If the Association claim the reward offered for the discovery, of a,‘ new goldfield, they would see the reasonableness of the five-mile restriction ; but as they claim no reward, and are working entirely in the public interest, they trust that the Government will modify their conditions as requested.—l have, &c., James Wylde, Hon. Sec. .Kumara Prospecting • Association.; September 7th. To Edmund Barff, Esq., M.H.R., Wellington.. Dear Sir—l enclose copy of letter to the Minister of Lands; re prospecting. I think you will be able to. endorse hll-that I have said on behalf of ’the Association, and I need not tell you how;much any action you may take to forward their claims for the Government grant will be appreciated by your Kumara constituents. I am, &c., Jambs Wyldb. September 10th. Report No. 5. To the Secretary Kumara Prospecting • Sir—As we neglected to send in our

report wwk, webeg leave to give you a full account' pf our progress for the fort*night ending t# date. ; Sept. 2.—Wentito work as usual in the morning j commenced bailing water, but gave it up at three o’clock, finding we were boat.. Party came to town in the evening, and were advised by the Committee to get three more men. Sept.,3.-—Occupied in looking for men who would consent to go with ns, and we succeeded in getting them. Sept. 4.—Dressing timber part of day } started bailing water at 12. o’clock same night, for the Convenience of the party who would relieve. ua next morning. Sept. < s.—Second/shift went on at 8, still bailing water; and-after working about five hours,, we came to the conclusion that we, were, beat* Anderson was in town same evening, and was advised to draw slabs and abandondt.,Sept; 6j 7• —OccujSfed '■'drawing slabs, and carry in same to tramway. Sept. 9.—Broke surfdde/shaft No. 2. It is situated. about 40b yards on the lower sideling, and about one ■ chain from the tramway. .. The country that we are going through is clean grayel, and a few big atones. _ We have hot any. water to contend with* as yet (and we .do not want it). We are down 34 feet, and close-lathed it. We.may ..also state that; Mr Ryan and others connected with the Tramway are . giving all the assistance they can in carrying, the timber for iw.—We) have, <&o., , . Anderson and Pasty, _ -Prospectors, Prospectors’ damp, •" September 14th, 1878. The Treasurer reported having received last week’s subscriptions amounting to £4 5sJ also that‘ he had paid the prospectors up to the 14th inst., including 10s each to three extra men : in .all £.1,0 p ~, Mr Queale, the collector, handed in £4 Os 6d, being , thfevttmount - collected * Mr- Queale. for collecting was ordered ■4ob,.vVvv - hfci«Btß Dhngan and O’Hara were de;\piiitod raiticf as PMigiipd. Tndmeetmg tnehSdjournedfor one week. V--r . s-* ■ . ,