MANAGEMENT OF QUARTZ MINES.

Thames Guardian and Mining Record, Volume I, Issue 191, 20 May 1872, Page 3

MANAGEMENT OF QUARTZ MINES.

To the Editor of tlie THAMES GUARDIAN. Sir, —Now that quartz mining bids fair to become one of the principal industries of the province, a few remarks by a practical man may not be considered out of place. Some may say that I only . tell them vvliat they already know by bitter experience ; but, if I can succ ed in showing them bow they may for the future avoid the fearful mismanagement which has bee., the cause of so many lamentable failures, my object will have been attained What is most remarkable in quartz reefing districts is that every one —no matter what his proper occupation may he—assumes to know as much about mining, timbering, crushing of stone, retorting of amalgam, &c\, as those who have been following those occupations for a length of time. This unfortunate idea causes men to be appointed to situations under companies for which they are totally unsuited.; and the management being bad, failure is the natural consequence. This, which, unhappily too often occurs, is caused in various ways, but may be traced chiefly to the following causes : 1. Neglect of duty or imcompetency of directors. 2. Appointment of an unsuitable legal manager, and misapprehension by him of his duties, 3. An incompetent

mining manager. 4. The endeavours .of directors to render the interests of the company subsurvient to their private advantage. 5. Attempting to make a mine pay at once without the necessary pre l 'minary dead work. 6. Starting without funds, and working on credit. 7. Unsuitable machinery and appliances. As to the appointment of directors, 1 do approve of thoroughly good business men of known probity rather than merely practical miners wanting those qualifications. But the danger is that very often such men accept the position as being an honoraide one, but are too much engaged with their own affairs,— and their interest in the mine being tnfliug and comparatively unimportant-—neglect their duty to the company. Having secured the services of a legal and mining manager, on whom they can fully depend, their duties become chiefly financial, always providing beforehand for the prohabl - expenses of the mine, and compelling the punctual payment of calls, without fear or favour. This I consider the principal duty of directors, for nothing can tie mure unfair than to collect money from all the honest shareholders, and at tin* same time n buy the dodgers and schemers to hang back, — waiting to see whether the min ■ on. pay or not, and perhaps speculating elsewln re on the very money which properly belongs to the company. Tin; Legal Manager should he a firstclass .accountant, of well-known honor and honesty, whose tiuthfulnoss can lie ful y relied on. li his dinn s are to.he ' xoriite.i with credit to the company, and com ort to himself, he will require to poss< ss both patience and affability, as in addition to keeping the accounts ho will he required to answer to the inquiries of the shareholders, and to deliver the orders transmitted through him from tiie directors to the mining manager. He should nevi r by any chance interfere with the working of the mine, hut should he discover that the working manager is incompetent or neglectful, lie should report the matter to the directors, and allow them to deal with it. He should at all times cultivate a friendly understanding' with the mining' manager, in order that the affairs of the company may he carried on harmoniously and always hear in mind that writing, not mining, is his business.

I come, in the third place, to what is, of all others, the most difficult to procure namely, a Mining Manager. By this would have understood, not simply an underground manager, but a man capal If of managing a quartz mill, superintending the working of the mine, hiring and discharging the men. He also requires to possess a good knowledge of chemicals, sufficient, at least, to enable him to keep his quicksilver and plates in proper order, so that in the ease of an injurious mineral, plenty of which exists in quartz lodes, being introduced, he may know what acids, or other remedies, to make use of. It is also necessary that he should bo an educated man, as he will he required to keep an account of the wages and all expenses of the mine, and also to write a report of the mine and its prospects when required. If a company be fortunate enough to obtain a man having all these qualifications in addition to sterling integrity, they should consider wages no object, as success or failure depends much upon this officer, and most of the lamentable failures of mines on this field may be distinctly traced to the ignorance of the manager.

There is nothing more certain than that a large, very large proportion, if not the majority, of mining managers in this province, are incompetent for the duties they have undertaken, and, strange to say, many of these, whilst knowing their own incoinpcteney, have been forced to hold the situation by the very directors and shareholders whose prospects they were about to ruin. This often happens through the insane idea that any man who lias been about a mill for a short time can manage one. That this is not the case, all experienced men know. I cannot take up your space in explanation of the many ways in which both gold and quicksilver may he lost, hut may mention that plates may he destroyed in many instances by the ignorant use of nitrit and muriatic acid, and still mon* effectually by sodium. I have I end of a n.a a ;er wanting to silver new plates, put a quantity of silver into the stamp-box, and said the plates would silver themselves. Yet shareholders after appointing such men complain of their want of success. What can they expect ? Would they send their watches in tin* nearest blacksmith to he ivpaire.l? nr engage «'• • first driver of a team of hors s as a hoi k-keep-T. I find,Nir,i hat this 1. Her is r aching an unreasonable length, so I will not. at present enter on the oilier reasons of failure month no 1 in the hegin-iino. If you and yo r r a ! r« •'- sire it I m v do so at some fm. r.: p< riod, but if 1 raise a hornet’s nest about my ears by treading too hard upon the loes of some unknown persons, I shall, with your kind permission, retire into my sln-11. I now coiu-lude with the following advice to shareholders —Appoint as directors honorable urn, who will show no favoritism, hut will compel all to pay their calls, and will see that all the liabilities of the company, wages especially, are paid regularly, and in cash, and that they appoint a reputable, arid, above ad, a truth-telling legal manager, otherwise you will be deceived, and mischief will he made between the directors and the mining manager. Get the best mining manager possible, and pay a good salary to a superior man sooner than even nothing to an inferior. I am, &c., Tom Crusher. Grahamstown, May 17, 1872.