The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 1875.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 1969, 27 April 1875, Page 2

The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 1875.

The alarming decrease in the yield of gold in Victoria, and the falling off in the demand for mining, labor, have been the means of directing particular attention to mining enterprise in that colony. . It was the gold that first gave an impetus to Victoria as a colony, and enabled it to make such rapid strides as to overtake her'older sister colonies in advancement. Victoria is no longer dependent upon her mineral resources. Agricultural and pastoral pursuits have followed the footsteps of mining, and the colony is now one of the wealthiest and most progressive in the Australasian group. But while possessing all the. elements of material wealth outside mining, Victorian legislators are not unmindful. of the source of the colony's early greatness, namely, goldmining. During last session of the Victorian Parliament a sum of £10,000 was voted to aid and assist in the development of the mining resources. This sum is now to bo expended in various directions in order to test certain districts believed to be auriferous, but the development of which private enterprise is unable to undertake. There is little doubt this vote was passed in the hope that its judicious expenditure

would develope fresh sources of wealth and revive the drooping prospects of - goldmining, which has fallen off in productiveness to such an appreciable extent as to cause no small amount of concern. The conduct of the Victorian Government presents a striking contrast to the course pursued in onr midst, where it takes months to obtain the expenditure of a comparatively small sum of money to open up communication with districts containing reefs of surpassing richness.

A significant paragraph appears in the summary of American news collated for the New Zealand Herald by its San

Francisco correspondent. It is as follows :—" Australia is to be represented at the Centennial. New South Wales, Queenstown (? Queensland), South' Australia and New Caledonia apply for space. \ Where is New Zealand?" No mention I is made of Victoria, but if we remember i rightly a handsome sum has been voted by the Victorian Legislature for adequately representing that colony at the Centennial, which, as most of our readers are aware, is to be a world exhibition to commemorate the Centenary of Ameri-1 can Independence, and 'to be held in 1876 or 1877. The question may well be asked " Where is New Zealand ? H This colony i& was that, unaided, opened a mail communication with the United States, <md it is therefore to be hoped thatthe colony which inaugurated such a service—now carried on jointly by New Zealand and New South Wales — will not he unrepresented at the Centennial exhibition in Boston, which is to eclipse all former efforts of the kind. There will be time during next session of the Assembly to organise a commission to make a collection representing the natural products and resources of the colony, and we do hope that steps will be taken to do this, as it will tend to bring New Zealand and its resources prominently forward, and help to extend those friendly and commercial relations with the .States so happily opened by the starting of the Pacific mail service.