AT THE GOLD RUSH.

Patea Mail, 22 April 1882, Page 3

AT THE GOLD RUSH.

\ correspondent writing to the, Canterbury Times sr-vs of the Woodstock rush :—One cannot but he struck with the immense waste of power that is going on at the rush. Scores of shafts are being sunk, each by a party of three or four, when one quarter the number would suffice. But this is, I suppose, in order to allow the individual miner fair play. It is to be feared that some accidents will occur from the falling-in of shafts. I am afraid that the business people are overdoing it at the rush. There are too many stores going up at present. If the rush extends down the Ross , road, it will be better to have the stores down there too. If the suggestion thrown out in, your leader about a few prospecting, shafts being sunk at some distance, from the present rush, down the Ross road, Were adopted by the Government, it would be .of great service. But we have lost all hopes of help : from the present Government. They evidently look upon the mining interests of the colony as of no consequence at all. Ministers pay ns occasional visits, and are very civil while they are Here (which is perhaps prudent on their part), arid talk beautifully about “.the immense mineral resources ;of the Coastbut they make’their escape as soon as they can, arid they do next to nothing. However, if we( get . two or -three thousand miners at work, we shall riot trouble .ourselves' much ; about Governments.