THE WAITOA DEPOSIT.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 224, 15 October 1887, Page 2

THE WAITOA DEPOSIT.

Gkeat stress has boen laid by some journals dmia^ the past few weeks upon the dohimbility, of Government stepping 'in ami at once purchasing Mr J. B. Smiths laud, and other land supposed to bo bo payably auriferous,in tho Waitoa district. In fao tan endeavour appears to have been nude to repiesent tho matter in bo strong a light, as would almost le.id those who liavo ii' »t given the subject midi thought, to suppose tho implied apathy of th j Government in this affair am muted to very culpable neglect Wo fail to sec tho matter in tho Maine light aw .some of our couteiuporarys,aud are decidedly of opinion that upiotho present nothing lias oueiured which would wnxint Govefnment expending' largo sums o£ public money in acquiring land in the manner, and lor the purposes named. Wu may hero state a few faots bearing" on this question before proceeding- to lefer generally to tho present position of -iffaiis on the Waitoa field. After Messrs Maud, (of Ilio firm of Harper and Co., solicitors) Barnes and Hill had paisomlly inspected tho land in question at Waitoa, iind takon out a number of pai cols therefrom, for test purposes, which weie treated by Messrs, G. Fuiaer ami Son, and had returned south and repotted tho lesiiit to their friends, and before the piopos'nl company had actually sign >d the deed of association ; Messrs Maud a;ul Barnep went specially to Dunedin to interview tho then Minister of Mines, Hon. Mr Larnach, (who it will be remembeied in company with,' Mr. 11. A Gordon, Inspecting Engineer, visited Mr Smiths place last March), desiring- to know before the proposed Company committed them-'olves to tho expenditure of «ny capital, ii! there were any likelihood of Government taking any steps in the direction of re-entering upon the land. Ai'tei some convention Mr Larnach requested that everything might be put befoie him in wiitiug respecting tho intentions of the proposed syndicate with regard to tho election of machinery, working the ground, etc. This request having been acceded to, and tho plans and prelimiiury aiuin^ements, as set forth therein, showing that it was the honest intention of the proposed byndicato to erect a valuable plant on the propei ty for the tieatmont of the ore in large quantities, and tb.it the woilc would be proceeded with at the earliest possible mo mont; and also that the venturers in tho hands of thorough practical business men, with a capital of £35,000, (33,000 shares lof £1 each) Mr Larnach said it was not tho intention of the Govern- ', ment to interfere in the matter, and that although the Mining- Act con- ' taincd clauses whereby Government could ro-onter on private lands, proved to bo aitrif.eroiis,still, those clauses were inserted to enable Government to mterfero in cases ■ whero it was clear the land was not bring worked, and was plainly being hold simply for speculative purposes; and Mr Lam ich further gavo xMobSis M.m.l and B unes an assurance in writing to that effect. Sir Julius Vogel w.is also inter viewed on the matter, and fully endorsed tho views held by Mr. Larnach, as already mentioned, and stated it was never tho intention of tho Act that Government bhonld nisli in and take possession of any land because it had been pioved to be auriferous, but it <rave Government an opportunity of preventing such land being held unites reasonably worked an I developed. When it became known that tin* result- of the treatment of the tti.d paioels taken out und* r tho direct peisoual biip"i vision of Messr-.. Maud, B uin^, and Hill, had given hiiJi satisfactory le-udts, and th.it the Company h.vd been formed, applications for shares wore leouivtd Ciom all parts of thu (Joluuiy, including' many fiom Aiuk! uid. Mr J. B. Smiths propel ty is situated about six miles from To Aroh.i, and about three and twofiomWaihou and Waitoa railway stations respectively. It is bounded jntho noi th west by the Larkwoi thy estate, on tho south by the Maungakawa-Waio-rongoinai road on the oast by the properties of Messis Moon ami others, and an the west by the Waitoa liver. The pioperty consists of 20()Q acres, and is intersected by tho load leading to Mala Mtita. Tho Waihek'j'ii stieam also ruin through the land. The poition sold the Christchnrch syndic ilo eomprisos tho 1000 acres neaiest Te iroha, and includes the dwelling house etc, and also t.'ie W.iihekau stream ; the boundary being a straight line from a point about four chains on the north side of where this stieun enters the land, to another point abutting on the Mm to- Miti road, to be defined when the survey is made; say probably about thirty chains on the south side of tho Waihck-iu stream. Tho 1000 acies still in Mr Smith's possession have a frontage of about one and a-half miles on tho Waitoa river ; and also a frontage on the M.ita M.ita load. It may heio be mentioned that there wou'd be very littlo difficulty in conveying the Wiiihdkau stieam to almost any pait of the piopcity. Tho Waitoa river could likewise be inado available, by going up stream some distance. Tho fact of plonty of water being obtainable is ono of great importance. Acting under instructions from theChiistchurch syndicate, Mr Smith is now arranging for the survey of a township on their poition of the estate. The site selected is intersected by the M.ita Mat'i road, about two miles distant from its junction with the main To Aroha — Morrinsville road, and fromWaitoa station; and is also intersected by a private road that runs through tho estate. It is proposed to lay off vow about fifty acres, in sections of a quarter of an acre and upwards, which will bo offered for absolute sale to the public. The adjoiningland it is stated has been proved auriferous to within about fifteen chains of the proposed township. Mr Durward, an representing 1 Christchurch capitalists other than those interested in the syndicate already formed, has been in the Waitoa district for some days past prospecting generally, and taking out parcels for tost purposes from various properties in the viciuity, including 1 Messrs Gould'h, Moon's, and Campbells, and h, we understand, prepared to negotiate for tho purchase of any land from which satisfactory results can be obtained with respect to its auriferous value. Mr Percy Cox, another gentleman well known in Cbristchureh, arrived in the district on Monday last, having- been deputed by Messrs Harper and Co., solicitors of Ghristohuroh, who havo had placed in their hands for sale Mr Chudleighs of 3000 acres, which adjoins Mr

Smith's, to come up and have the property fully pro-pouted, and its value ascertained, ns far as ifc is possible to d • so by tho treatment of test parcels ; this work Mr Cox entered upon t!io day following hU urrirul. Both Messrs Cox and Durward are nlmrehokleis in Smith's syndicate ; and have to* gefrhor t'\ke,n out several tons of tho deposit for treatment , from several shafts on the 1000 aoivs still remnining in iVlr (Smith's possession ; the land being under offvr to the syndicate. This parcel of deposit was forwarded to Messrs Geo. Fraser and Mons, Auckland by Wednesday's tiuin, and Mr Durward proceeded to Auckland yesterday, whore lie \V'II remain to seethe results before rotur.ih^U >n *. It may be infeired that these results derived will not ho made public until after the Christchurch people h.ive been iui'orined. Should the prospects obtained from the more recent tests be favourable, no doubt other syndicates will speedily bd formed who will erect michiuery on their own account. Messrs Alick Anderson, ''partner in the firm of that name, iron founders j.h 1 contractors, Ohri-<tcliiirch) arrived it Te Vroii i by coach on Wednesday evenm^, uccu Apanic d by Mr Price (of Mesirs A. a;id (x. Pi ice, iron founders and mining engineer*, Tlh lines) and Mi John Watson ; <iud on Thursday visited the property of the syndicate at Waitoi, and selected the site for the new plant. The spot ehoien h situated on the side oL' the ridge opposite Mr iSmiths house, about lU'toeu ch.um from the north west boundary of the land, and only a few chains iron, what is known as number two shaft. Tho contract for the erection of the nsw plant has been let to Messrs Price, tho tim ) allowed within which to complete it bein# only three and a half months, viz.> till fiist February. The building' to be Greeted will contain a plant of ten amalgamating pans, and ten settlers. It is isual to allow only one settler to every two. pans, but theWaiUw deposit it is. nnticip ited can be put through so much more quickly than ordinary tailings, that double the allowance has made. The stuff is altogether so different from that commo'ily tivuted,. chat Air Piiue declined to.~ give any opinion a.s to what quantity the plant ref'irred to could satisfactorily treat in a, given time. Tho motive power will besteam (about lifty horse-power engine). It has also been decided to obtain tht* water required by diverting, the Waihekau btroam, but this work is not included in Messrs Pi ice's contract. [t has been stated by the Waikato Times that iVr Smith had received £ 14,000 for 1 the 1000 acres sold, and 700) shares, which he had disposed of at from t'Z to £2 10s per share. Mr Smith informs ua this report is altogether wrong, the terms made with tho syndicate being as follows; Price, £14, 000 ; £2,000 down, the balauoo to be paid later on, and 7,000 fully paid up whaies • of which ho has so far only disposed of 100, Mr Smith had intended leaving for Melbouruo next week with a parcel of about five tons of the depot.it, which he de&iros to have tieated by the Newbeiry-Vautiu ohlorination process. This visit ha>, however, been indefinitely pobtponed for tho present. With respect to the forw»rding of teat 1 parcels of deposit from Waitoa t-» Auckland,wo wore shown a ware icceiveil within the past fosv days Liom Wellington to the offect that twenty tons of such would beconveyoJ by r.iil to Aucivla.id fiee uf chariie.

L A T Eli, Since the above wa.s in typo the rejioifc of Me-<.sr> J- A. Pond, (Piuvm^ial Amdyst) ami 10. 11. Whit.ikur, (Buik ot Aow Zealand) li ts been published, and i-t uf <i decidedly utis>-itl->i'cicti>ry uh.ir.iutor The&o gentlemen, on beluUi' of tlio Waitoa Prospoctuis Ahsociiiition, (recently fwrinuil in Auckland) hi*.t wcok apunt sevcr.il day.s at W.iitoa pruspcotin^, by means ( )i" boring rods and otherwise, and took back with fhotn a number of hiwuples taken out during their visit from the land recently aevjuired by the Christchurch syndicate from Mr J. 13, Smith. The niajoiity of tests made by thesso on their return ta Auckland resulted in only a truce of gold being obtained, and none of the teats of stuff obtained by them in boring yielded a payablo return. No doubt the ropoit letorrod to will lend to several Jaipur pvccls <'f thu dyportit bein^j taken out and tre-ited forthwith ; nnd the result will bo lookotl forwaiil to with doep I luti'l'ufcit..