THE THAMES: Statistical and Descriptive.

Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3299, 18 July 1879, Page 3

THE THAMES: Statistical and Descriptive.

For the last 20 years or moro it baa been ascertained that gold existed in the Thames district, a piece of land lyinsr on the east side of the Frith of Thames, in the provincial district of Auckland, Now Zealand, situated about 50 miles S.E. of the City of Auckland. Owing to the land being in the possession of tho natives, who, at that time, were not disposed to allow Europeans to settle on it, the re. sources of the district were not fully known. However, after a lapse of time negotiations with the aboriginal owners I were completed, and the first batch of pioneers landed at the mouth of the . Kauaeranga Creek on. the 27th July, 1867, and with astonishing rapidity the town of Shortland sprang into existence. Prospecting for gold was energetically carried on, and good prospects obtained, and. the stone proved of a payable nature. On gold being discovered by Mr Hunt in his claim on the Kuranui Spur (ainco called stke Shotover mine), the tide of population set in further north, when the township of Gr&hamstown (which is separated from Shortland by the Karaka Creek —now bridged) was laid off, and buildings went up very rapidly. Shortly after the Golden Crown and Caledonian mines produced astonishingly rich stone ; the, former company in twelve months paid in dividends alone £200,000, and the /latter ,; the unprecedented amount of ,jE572,00b. Other claims in the vicinity were also turning out rich' stone. While everything was thus prosperously gning on, the development of the back country was not overlooked, nnd Highway Boards were .established, under whose auspices roads, tramways, &c, were made. These; Boards have since merged into the; Borough or County of Thames Councils. < 'The' Borough how consists of the townships of Grahamitown and Shortland, with a portion of the north suburb Tararu. The population of the Borough is returned at 5424, and with the vicinity it is estimated at 10,423 (year ending 1878). The Borough contains 2642 acres, 1100 dwellings : annual value of property, £46,674. The government ofj the Borough is carried on by the Mayor (Wm. McCullough, Esq., proprietor of the Evening Star newspaper, at present holds this office) and nine Councillors/three members being elected for each ward. The area of the Thames Goldfield proper is about four miles long by two and a half miles broad, exclusive of the Upper Thames, of which more further on. It may be supposed gold has been the principal product of the district, and as it ia obtained from quartz expennive machinery has been erected. Some of the batteries are exceedingly complete in eVery respect, notably the Moanatairi, which, as it is situated on the beach, Grahamstown, attracts the eye of the passengers from Auckland. The Kurauui and the Piako are also very extensive. These batteries and several others, too many to particularise, are driven by water. As the gold is highly charged with base metal, the saving of all of it on the plates and blanketings at the batteries iff impossible. The tailings are, therefore, again treated at the various plants erecied for this purpose. The gold being (as before seated) highly impregnated with other minerais, the banks who buy the gold assay each parcel, the average price giveu being about £2 13s per ounce. While on the subject of minerals, it may not be out of place to mention that silver is found in large quantities, chiefly combined with gold, while antimony, cinnabar, lead, copper and iron, and mundic are obtained, but not in sufficient quantities to warrant mining for them. ' Before leaving this subject, it would be well to mention that after the levels above high water mark had been worked, sinking had to be resorted to, and pumping operations became imperative. ' With the view of draining the ground the works known as the Big Pump were commenced, the General Government advancing the sum of £50,000 towards the cost of construction. The main shaft is now down 640 feet. The pumping engine (350-hor^e power) is the largest in the colonies, and is capable of raising 10 tons of water per minute*;: A smaller pump, known as the Bright Smile, a distance of about half-a---mile from the larger one, was erected for the purpose of draining the claims on the Waio-Earaka Flat. Altogether the machinery oh this field will compare favourably with.. any in the colonies. Prospecting in the back ranges is still persevered with, and it is hoped that good results will repay the enterprise. The total amount ,q£ gold obtained up to January, 1878, was 1,297,336 ounces, ▼alued at £4,047,223. The upper Thames (Ohinemuri district) also has produced gold, but that field hasinptl yet been thoroughly prospected; but still gold in payable quantities is found at Waitekauri, some 35 miles from Shortland. It is in the Upper Thames that we must look for agricultural and pastoralffkterprise, the land there being suitable for both industries. The want of roads has hitherto retarded the development of this highly important locality. - The.,., County Council, however, are gradually but surely overcoming this obstacle. The i fruit trees planted some years kiriocf at Te Puke (30 miles from Grahamstown, near a landing stage on the Thames River) have been most prolific, and the vines have borne large quantities of grapes indisputably showing the value of land in this.neighbourhood for rearing fruit trees. Fruit will be another export of value, and probably in a few years both jam and preserves will be manufactured on an extensive scale. From Ohinemuri to Shortland, good land for farming operations is met with on both sides of the Eiver Thames, while the forests of timber occupy a large area and could easily keep up a constant gU pp]y of timber for the two large mills , which are erected on the banks of the river. At Putin(about 12 miles from Shortland) are some Soda Water springs, which contain medicinal properties of the highest importance. A manufactory for bottlingthese waters has been erected close by, and the export trade is likely to be remunerative to the proprietors and invaluable to invalids elsewhere. Amongst the products of the upper district, kauri gum must not be omitted, This important article of commerce is not found south of the provincial district of Auckland, and although the quantity exported from the Thames is not nearly to great as formerly, still export continues and-fieldSr have jet to be worked. The timber r . trade, is not confined to the UppVr Thamesi as the forests in the Kauaeranga contain large quantiti«»oTkauri trees, said to be the most

[ valuable in the Aucltlnnd district. These I trees after being Mlctl. »m nit. into lengths, and jacked to the nvrks which flo^ into the Kanftwanirn stn-nni, where they remain until rnin causes a fresh to float them (o tho booms, (situated at Parnwai distant about 2 mi'es from the Shortland Sawmills,) 'whence they are rafted to the mill, which is one of the largest in the col ny. and the machinery second to none. Having thus briefly alluded to the outlying districts, it will not be out of place to say that a railway is in course of construction, between Grahamstown and the Waikato, passing through nearly the whole of the Thames districts, when this is completed the country will be so opened up, nnd the carriage reduced in price, that the growing of grain will be so largely entered into, that the Thames market will be supplied from there, and in course of time the export of these commodities will become a large item. The Thames now has to rely for its grain &c. on the Southern districts. (To he continued.)