The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. Friday, April 30, 1880.

Kumara Times, Issue 1118, 30 April 1880, Page 2

The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. Friday, April 30, 1880.

The meeting convened by his Worship the'Mayor at the Town Hall this evening is one of move than ordinary import, inasmuch as it is called for the purpose of taking the piteliminary steps towards reorganising an association previously existing but long laying dormant, on whOse efforts and. suc'cess the future prosperity of 'the district mainly depends. But few can deny that a large amount of what might prove highly aurifemus ground at present exists in close proximity to this goldfield, and the object of the meeting this evening is to provide the necessary funds for a systematic exploration of the ground in question in search of the precious metal by prospecting parties. Without wishing for one moment to detract from the past valuable services rendered by the Kumara Prospecting Association, we might point blit that to our mind the rock on which “their career as an association came to grief was in sending out parties to prospect the flat on the westward side of this township, instead oi first endeavoring to trace the lead of gold known to exist At the head of the present workings. Probably at the time that the action to which we refer was taken, the association was laboring,.under the opinion that to secure the Government subsidy it was necessary for them to carry on their operations three miles from any existing workings. If, however, such was the case, we may point out that this is an. erroneous opinion in regard to prospecting, as the Government subsidy applies irrespective of any limit to distance, and can be obtained by any prospecting association conforming to the regulations laid’ dpvfrn relative to prospecting parties. In the rewards offered for the discovery of new goldfields the limit is fixed at,three miles from any previous workings, and this is the clause that has been by many misinterpreted as applying to prospecting; hence the difficulty that has arisen in.tracing up a lead of gold known to be in existence. Asa number of the previous members of Kumara Prospecting Association have left the district, we take it that the first business of the meeting this evening will be to elect others to fill the vacancies thus occasioned; and as the success of the association depends mainly on the energy of the managing committee, we trust to see those elected who will take an Active and jirbraihefit part in furthering its interests. The one great pbiht and the roost essential one for 'Consideration is the raising of the necessary funds to Carry oiit the ol\}ects of the association, and in this

we apprehend the example of our Tlokitika neighbours might be followed with advantage, viz., by deed of agreement as betSveen the association and the general public, If. the whole of the town and the adjoining localities were thoroughly canvassed add the 'Signatures of the residents db'taided ’t'o a deed guaranteeing a fixed though small sura monthly, the association would then be in a position to know tbe exact amount of support oh whirih they could depend, and act in accordance therewith in carrying out their operations, thereby ensuring the main object of prospecting—the steady though thoroughly effective testing of the surrounding country. . The question to be discnssed this evening is, as we pointed out on a former occasion-, one that affects the community as a whole, and one that we-trust to see taken in hand in a manner that will angur Well for its fixture success.