The Nelson Evening Mail. TUESDAY, JULY 20, 1875.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume X, Issue 179, 20 July 1875, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. TUESDAY, JULY 20, 1875.

The Government Gazette of the 15th instant coutains certain statistics relative to the yield of gold irom the various mining districts in the colony, which, if not satisfactory, are certainly interesting. We say "not satisfactory " because they reveal a very large falling off in the total export during the half-year ending June 30, 1875, as compared with the corresponding period of the previous year, as will be seen by the following table:-—

The decrease of 23,496 ounces is a serious matter to the colony representing, as it does, a money value of £97,273, the total value of the gold exported during the half year ending June 30, 1874, having been £801,666, against £704,393 for the same portion of this year. It is, however, gratifying to find that the export from the Province of Nelson not only keeps up to the mark, but has actually exceeded that of last year by some 3000 ounces. Still, it is a bad sign to find a falling off in the total yield of the colony, and nothing in reason that legislation can do should be wanting to foster this very important industry. That ifc is of the highest importance must be recog--1 nised on all sides, when it is remem- | bered that the total amount extracted I from the ground in New Zealand up to June 30, 1875, waa 7,776,612 ounces, ot the valne of £30,281,409, or, as a Wellington contemporary puts ifc, '- ten millions sterling in excess of the colonial debt on the completion of the public works sanctioned by the Legislature." Towards this enormous total the Province of Nelson has contributed 1,440,581 ounces, valued at £5,716,572. In an article on " What should be done to encourage gold mining?" the JV. Z. Times, among other suggestions, makes the following: — "We would give the gold miner an opportunity of acquiring a freehold title to his mining area, w thin a reasonable limit. This would tie him to the country. He would have a vested interest in his clam. He could build hia house thereon, ani while he was engaged in mining pursuits his family coull cultivate the surf nee. Mining would then be conducted on a totally different method from wh-q,t it is at present. The one thought now is to get the gold and clear out as soon as possible, leaving the land unfit for any useful purpse. But were the land the property of the miner, care would be taken, on working out a spot, to fill up the workings and restore the surface. It would pay to do so. The land would remain a valuable and improvable commodity after the gold had been removed; and in process of time the worked out ground would come to be occupied by a large producing population, instead of tho unsightly nnd dangerous wastes of barren earth and pitfalls we now see. The country would get, in exchange for its gold, a settled population, and new industries wonld tpring up, giviog employment as the gold produce fell off. In thi? way, New Z- a'and would not be compelled to lament the falling off in mining pursuits, nor would future economists point to solitary wastes as the only permanent resu't ol it 3 go'den harvest."

1875. 1874 Otago ,„ 63,783 oz9 76,780 ozs Kelson .., 46,522 „ 43,481 „ West end ... 36,050 „ 42,398 ' Auckland ... 29,593 „ 37,161 Marlborough 691 „ 307 ' 1 Total „, 175,639 200,125 |