MINING REPORT.

Kumara Times, Issue 2791, 1 September 1885, Page 2

MINING REPORT.

[By our Special Mining Reporter.] Since my last report we have had what may be called in digger's parlance "Sluicers' weather." It is pleasant to know there is a copious supply of water, but disagreeable enough to be continually soaked in wet. I suppose the miners on this field, with a month's water supply pretty well secured, will forget that increased storage is at all required. It is to be hoped that the weather will be such as to give a good supply for many months to come; but at the same time it is self evident that hoping wont make the slightest difference in the matter. The public have been well supplied in your journal lately with statistics of the goldfields of the colony in general and this field in particular ; and though to the general render it may be dry matter, still to a thoughtful reader there is ample food for reflection. Both Mr Gordon and Mr Gow are very selfcomplacent abont the substitution of stone for wood paving in the sludgechannel. They say it works admirably; bat in my opinion the wood was preferable and cheaper, notwithstanding such high authority to the contrary. In taking into account the relative cost, you must also take into account the relative work done. Now we find that when the chanuel was wholly paved with wood, nine parties could be accommodated, and sometimes ten, in a shift, whereas now six parties is the limit. The cost per annum with stone paving exceeds £6OOO, with a limit of six parties to the shift; and we have no evidence to show that it at all approached that amount for wood to run a third more parties. I will grant that each individual party are now sending more stuff through than formerly, which some say makes such a great difference in the working of the channel. I would ask any one who likes to take the trouble to take note of the parties who are on and the blockages that take place on particular shifts, and they will find that the position of the parties in the channel has more to do with it getting blocked than the amount of stuff sent away. If the sides of the boxes had been raised, as they are now, before the stones were introduced, so as to keep the water from getting so readily out of the boxes, there would not have been the slightest difficulty to run eight parties on a shift, instead of six as at present, and would have prevented a lot of idle time for those whose permits had expired. There would be no difficalty at all in getting a substantial guarantee for the Government if they would give a contract for .£6OOO a year to run eight parties on a shift with wood paving; whereas they can only accommodate six parties with stone paving. There is still the other alternative of having iron paving, which would be cheaper than either wood or stone; for, although costing more at first, would make up for it by lasting longer and dispensing with two-thirds of the cost for repairs. I venture also to assort that if stones had not been intieduced for paving, there would have been no need for a No. 2 Channel, and would have saved that expense to the Government; and also have saved our ineni'ier the mortilic it inn of beinij put on his trial by a (.'oinrnit ice of the linns'. Wii itevei '• e''!iic il ; ti<"< mi • v »ij into the affair, I am e -..ii i<m i hat Mr Seddon has acted iu the best faith us

between the Government and this community whatever busy-bodies may think who started Mr Sutter on this wild-goose chase. While writing on the subject ot the channel I may state that it is my firm conviction we would have been far better off to-day if a channel had never been brought in here. If the Governruent had spent one-twentieth of the outlav in assisting companies ot say half-a-dozen claims each to bring in tail-races, the ground would have given decent returns, and we would have been saved the annoyance of being asked to sluice through a thing like a window-frame or a bar, or up hill, or any other absurdity. We have ourselves to blame : we asked for a channel and we got it; but still we have the right to see that it is worked to the best advantage, both to ourselves and to the Government. } M'Kinnou and party, next to Meade » claim, have had an excellent washing of 1200z5., which will compare well with any washing on Larrikins for the time ; and it is said that the excellent prospects of this claim has turned the attention of at least one of the party matrimonial-wards.