Report upon the Gold. fields.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2055, 5 August 1875, Page 2

Report upon the Gold. fields.

[BY - TELEGRAPH.] ».

(fBOJI . OVR OWN COBBESPONPENT.)

WELLINGTON,

;:,,■;.:,:■ ■•;;,- „..,,;.> ■:,.,.;■ .Thisrday.-v: Mr. C. E. (TJnderrSecretary) Annual:.Keport Pti, the;:goldfie!ds has been prin ted under the > Jiead of " Gold, Silver, and Bevenue." It contains certain statistics.with vrhichthe Gazettes have already made ua acquainted. It then\goe3 oil.:; ; ; :,;•;. ;.v v.^ "■•;" -.v-;>-.■.>■:.-■ ;:.'=. VATEtt;B^(3EB;y :,■:■;■". ; - : . " '. Oa the 31st March, 1875,.there ;were . 4,365 water races, of a length of 5.823J;

i 514,360; and ground sluices 1603, constructed at a cost of £26,329. - MINING- LEABEB AND LICENSES. I The. numl)et>,.of mining leases in force ion thei 3Vst, Myrpb, 1875, was 491; the I gross Acreage 1^207 acres 2 roods 16 j -and the', annual rental^ £732? 1 135.1 d. ;TJn!|eg;the Gold MiningijDi*-; tricts Act—in. # force only upon.: the ;Hauraki Gpldfields—there were upon th^ '31st Marchr;lß7s, 137 licenses, covering a gross acreage of 1078 acres 2 roods 4 perches ; with a rental of £3138. The returns of the Goldmining Companies .-received are very incomplete, but from such information as.has been at nay ' aii^sai^i^av^ particulars :—Uti^«K<yiif lie Mining, Companies Limited LiabilityfAct, .1865,'/_;arid: jAmending Acts, there are 230 registered ;cbmpanies, with a nominal capital of :£3,622,216, and a paid-up capital of !£2,720,640 12s 2d.. Onder "The Joint iStock Act "—32 companies, with a riomi- 7 capital, £557,625; paid-up capital, ,£300,15,8.:r tfßnderrjf'#|ie; Mjrang;^Gomipanies A fct,iß^^' '51 Vbrnpirflesf Mth a "nominal capital of £726,920; paid-up jcapital> £254,699 Is lid. r v .•;

, TOe'niiinber'of•agriculturallease's, and consequently the area of ground held under them, is increasing every year. During the jea.rendingj3lsjb Marchy|.B74,, tho^number nearly- doul|le(S| tlikt of the! previous "year;- and -8-the- number^ and* acreage stood as follows in March, 1875, in comparison with the same, date in 1874,:-~3lst March,; 1874,> 1443,-leases; acreage 88,296 acres 2: roods 2 4 •perches^ 31st March, 1875, 1527 leases; acreage 104,023 acres 2 roods 5 perches. The area held at. present .under agricultural leases does 'riot '-represent -the '■ 'whole amount of land which has been acquired and settled under tlm system of deferred payments. A considerable area upon the I goldfields of the'MidcHe Island is now ! held in fee simple by former leaseholders who have paid up in full and received itheir jCrbw.n^ Gj.rants ?r arid:- are^in them^brit^ofjcajsei? |rosfperotis fjreehblcler|, farming their own land*. 'The experience" of years has now .proved the wisdom of ithe legislature in. providing for the at'tachmentoofthe affordirig them spVciarlad.vantages.''fbr: iUg. jacqui^emept of freehold property. .'■-.J/Cl j'"' ..' MINING " 'V V'

: the jjujnb^^fjpewonsx .engaged in goldmihing showsa marked diminution fori the yean^G^on. tbej\3lst: March. 1874 i* there L WerV 18^142r a^£ upon; 3Jst March,. 1?^,16 } 424, Thism- ; eludes ■ Chinese, of whom there were at i the,, latter date .4693, as,against 410.3 in. ;the'former year.' : CohsideVing'tile Very* ; largei increase to, the poptilatipn. of . the. ! Colony 'during :>the /year^t? ridibg' r!MarcH,' ; 1875 j r /it is undoubtedly^>a /act- that. ' o^he'r^pursuitS'AiiaVe^een'>l&und! to"''pay • better than . goldmining, and that .the^attraction; T6f makingunl&ney ily upon our' goldfieids no longer ; exists. Wages stUl^asjmajjtb^^seen'byi ; the returns appended—continue very high; but the work is hard, arid some ; actual knowledge.of raining operations is now in many instances required. This ap- \ pears to shut out the greater number of the ";new,arrivals, who, /brought. up -to/other pursuits, might have done very well upon a new rush, but are •useless? for the regular work of a gold mine. Ido not suppose that the mining population has re- : ceiyed any perceptible accession? from the ! 55,000 immigrants the Immigration and Public Works policy, whilst one result of 4%Hi • pqlicy:'hlsibeen to withdraw; from the^gpldfields : of men who find- mo^e'4r^gukr^Employr ment in connection withjthp.public.works of the Colony and tne' YprQvinces^; and in the. private .enterprises of various:.characters' ;:which "the ;ptese'nt /stdfe' of the country tends:to:cr«ate and foster.*".■-' ... - ■ ■:•:■. r j.''■-■■-: •;■*.';.■ -j.' .'i. . f "•■ v.-; ;'■'.■■ BATE OP WAGES AND PBICES OF PBO<L:; r)^"Ct>; ; i;., :V;visid&s.;V; „■>; 'i:, •" .;• There i3;n.o : important differenc© from those prevaiiih^^a«t^earr-^'':: '. : ■„-- --[\7i-i-'-;if^OSPBOTa-, PF.THE,'COIOJrT:.?r- ■ •."''. .. The resolution of the House'-'of'Eepre' senta^ioniitf :A-ugust,ylßs9f:espresßlylasks for a, report upon the probable prospects of; the 'goldfields. Ci This is> a imatter 'upon which from the same data Very .'.different opinions may be formediiand'liam afraid it is one ver^ difficult to deal with, unless the political/element;' (from 'entering into which my position debars me) is introduced. 1, however, take it; for proven that undeveloped wealth to a v great amouhti existsi in ;^our^^resebt ■■■■ goldfields, .and that the mineral respurces of the colony-outside thepvesent proclaimed goldfields have npt; yet been .prospected. That thdre exist' -undeveloped; fmines of wealth in the Goldfields of new Zealand,; j there is nof Jthe :sha*dow of a doubt, j arid I have appended hereto a very able and exhaustive report of Mr Gf. 11. F. Ulrich, F.Gr:ST-• Consultingv Mining Geologist and Engineer of Melbourne, a gentieman:,we,!! knpw^^ for, ihis jscientific atiainnieats, upon"the goldfields of Otago, as .proving^ beyond (juestipn.the immensity of the'auriferblis rbspurcespf^that; pb'rtibn of the^colpny.^ As^l write^ day by diy most . fenc6uTagitfg Rr^ports^Ufeach/' me of the newly developed goldfields in the North; and the perusal of Mr Warden Phaser's. ;isupple^'en|aryj.rpport:-^ . the. conviction that the rich returns of the Thames, in past years will sink ; into insighiiElcanc'e- -'before//•''.the-' '■'•'* realisktiph of the future/ It must, however, be admitted that gbldmihing under existing circumstances is not an attractive pursuit; that many leave it -for other industries ; and that the mining population is not recruited from outside, with the exception of the Chinese. Ifc. is a matter of consideration whether goldmining—when it ceases to-be a mere -lottery, ; as in rich, newly opened diggings it> undoubtedly is —pays as a steady iridustij*; whether, in fact, to raise an ounce of gold doe 3 not cost in ordinary pasesvery close upon itg value. If: this is the;case-^-and the public opinion upon the goldfields: seems very much to tend this way—-and its results are admitted to be beneficial to the Colony^ it encpurajßeirierit;;; shbjildtjbeigiyen to thisihdus try j arid some of "the special burthens with which it is now weighted, removed.