THE MINING INDUSTRY.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 437, 15 January 1890, Page 5

THE MINING INDUSTRY.

INTERVIEW WITH MR MITCHEL SON. The Hon. E. Mitchelson, on leaving for Wellington, expressed to Mr Witheford his desire that substantial aid should be given to mining, and stated that the Minister of Mines and Mr Gordon would probably visit the goldfields at the end of the month. During Mr Gordon’s last visit Mr Witheford was waiting at Coromandel for four days by appointment to meet him, but Mr Gordon, on reaching Tapu en route from the Thames, received urgent instructions to proceed to the West Coast. Mr Witheford is anxious for the Auckland goldfields to be brought prominently before the world during the coming Jubilee season, and urges that it should be made a national work to increase the colony’s output of gold. He is of opinion that the great want of the Coromandel goldfield is not machinery only, but men, and that every eilort should be made to increase the army of workers until there are about five or ten thousand miners breaking out quartz, instead of the present limited number of 300 only. Coromandel gold-bearing stone is usually of a kindly nature and the gold easily saved by simple appliances. For instance, the Kapanga hasforseveralmonthspast been raising payable ore from Scotty’s reef at a depth of 320 feet from the surface, the plant used being the ordinary 10 stamper battery and two berdans, showing it to be free milling ore even at depth. The total yield is upwards of 4 tons of gold from the Kapanga since its first discovery. The Union Beach to the south had similar free gold down to 180 feet (their lowest level) and stamped out £83,000 worth of gold with the old-fashioned battery, while theTokatea on the summit of the hill north of the Kapanga produced free milling ore to a depth of 850 feet, their battery treatment yielding over 55.000 ounces of gold ; and the Royal Oak, which adjoins, closed the year with a two shilling dividend, the result of two men’s work during the year on the same easily-treated quartz. Mr Witheford thinks that Auckland will yetbe lifted into prosperity through its goldfields, and that though gum, and flax, and other products are great aids, gold must be relied on to bring a rush of population to the province. He is now considering definite proposals to be made with a view to initiating a big revolution in gold field matters, and thus hasten the corresponding boom of prosperity which attends successful mining in all the gold producing countries of the world.

Thames, Jan. 9. Trenton. —The new leaders ancl veins recently cub are looking promising. Lone Hand. —The mine manager wires: —“Just touched a leader coming in from north side of low level tunnels. Good mineral through quartz.” The size of the leader is uncertain, as only a little has vet been broken down. It will be stripped for a few feet before being broken down. Cambria. —The main reef is still carrying nice mineral, and other leaders show gold when being broken down, in some instances pretty freely. May Queen. —The quartz in No. 4 lode carries some nice mineral. There is every reason to believe that gold will be got when No. 4 and No. 2 lodes junction further eastward.

Saxon. —The winze being sunk from the original drive seaward of the shaft at No. 5 level has now attained a depth of 10ft. As your readers ai’e already aware, it is being carried down on the No. 2 reef, which is a nice-looking body of stone, and when breaking down a parcel of about 41b of picked stone was selected from the general dirt. The manager yesterday (Tuesday) commenced to make preparations for sinking another winze on the main No. 1 reef between the NO3. 1 and 2 breaks, near the point where the crosscut first intersected the reef at No. 5 level. The water in this portion of the reef has apparently disappeared, and the manager has started this winze with the object of ascertaining whether the water has been drained hillward of No. 1 break to any depth, while it will also serve to open up the new block below No. 5 level. Stoping operations are proceeding as usual, from which quartz of the usual grade is coming to hand. Lone Hand. —Crushing will probably be commenced next week at Bull’s battery. Payable quartz is being broken out as usual from the stopes on the City of Manchester reef and .the various leaders in the Lone Hand section of the mine. In the low level tunnel capital progress continues to be made. The Moareefis being carried along, and still shows colours of gold, being a nicelooking lode about 6 inches thick. May Queen. —Driving east is proceeding as usual on the No. 4 reef, which has now been driven upon a distance of about 45ft since starting. The reef, which is encased in an excellent class of sandstone, is about 9in in thickness, and is of a somewhat rubbly formation. The quartz carries some nice mineral, but up to the present no gold has been observed. The drive on No. 2 reef has been stopped, and the men have made a start to clean out the drive west on No. 4 lode, for the purpose of getting to No. 1 reef, where it is expected that gold will be obtained. A distance of about 150 ft has to be cleaned out to reach No. 1 reef, and when it is to hand, work will be pushed ahead upon it. New : Moanataiari. The preliminary works in connection with the rock drill are pretty well completed, and in)a few days a start will be made in the face of the main tunnel. Excellentprospects are being obtained from the winze on the Reuben Parr reef. In breaking down a portion of the Golden Age reef at the intermediate level some 'good strong dabs of gold were seen in a stringer dropping into the reef on the hangihgwall.