The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. FRIDAY, MAY 15, 1885.

Thames Star, Volume XVI, Issue 5094, 15 May 1885, Page 2

The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. FRIDAY, MAY 15, 1885.

The evidence adduced yesterday in the Warden's Court in the case of the Pumping Association against the Waiotahi Company would 9eem to tend in the direction of proviDg that in the present condition of things here, where a want of outside capital is beginning to be seriously felt, the idea of prospecting our lower levels is not meeting with the encouragement it should. It may perhaps take another decade ere we hear aught of the result of the work now being carried on in the deepest workings on the field. It is true that muchghas been spent in trying to follow-down the .various reefs which have tended to make the name of the field, and well inteotioned advocates have no doubt carried their hearers with them in pursuing the search for the precious metal to great depths. But it eeeoaa to be proved beyond a doubt that very much more capital indeed would be required to thoroughly test our low levels, and this desidtratum is not immediately forthcoming, On the goldfields of other culoupMt ijp\lsfceu el) euormous expeti.

diture of time and money to produce the satisfactory results which have of late been attendant on their deep workings. Instead of delving away in the face of calls and with but shadowy prospects of payable returns, owing to the shortness of money invested; it is more than a moot point whether a considerable amount of energy is not being wasted. It has over and over again been pointed out in these columns that more attention than has in the past been, should be paid to the district surrounding ua; that prospecting amongst the neighboring hills, where very encouraging results have followed many Jan adventurous one; where fortunes have (been won and lost, j and where we yet feel confident we will see or hear of no. inconsiderable yield of gold being sent from. The whole of the peninsula is, we are convinced, impregnated with the precious mineral, and why operations should be confined to a small area, requires some explanation. That a circumscribed basis of operations should be selected is undesirable; the whole of our |practicable surroundiug country should be tried, and thus would be developed the riches of the district. It has been abundantly shewn that on the various , surrounding hills, and in our many creeks, the precious mineral is found in varying quantities, and every attention should be directed to utilizing such sources of wealth openly visible to us, before experimentalising is attempted to be carried on. The field must be extended—its limits have been hitherto too confined ; certain finds have been followed up, "and operations narrowed down to proved portions of it. We are not the possessors of wealth such as ia a Creswick or a Bendigo, we cannot afford to sink nearly half a mile and bring up stone which will pay dividends if we have not a continuous supply of that necessary adjunct to mining—Capital. Although we would not counsel an entire diversion of attention from the deep levels of the field, we would earnestly urge that steps be taken in the direction of opening up new and not altogether untried ground. This would be of much benefit to the community. It has been clearly proved that auriferous country surrounds us on every side, and its effectual development should be of the greatest moment to those whose inter* ests are cast in the district.