QUARTZ MINING IN NEW ZEALAND.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4773, 14 July 1894, Page 2

QUARTZ MINING IN NEW ZEALAND.

Jin Expert's Opinion.

Mr llcgiuald A. F. Murray, F. 0.5., Government Geologist for Victoria, recently inspected the quartz mines of this Colony, for the purpose of advising the Government villi respect to the probabilities of success iu deep-mining for auriferous lodes and reels. lis report to Hon. A..T. Cadraim, Minister of Mines, has just been published by the Government. The report is a valuable one, treating the subject very fully and at considerable length. It concludes with the following suiummy : As regards the future of deep quarto, mining in New Zealand, I must confess to feeling less confident than I would were the rocks more similar to those wherein quartz reefs have so successfully been worked to great depths iu Australia, but at the same time (ho evidences arc such as to warrant me i'i (ho 'recommendations with respect to the Holds where at present a.feeling of uncertainty exists as to the probability of success in deeper explorations. These recommendations, briefly summarised, are as follows :

1 Thames Goldficld: (o) Boring in the Ticiuity of the Queen of Scanty shaft, and deep sinking should that boring show that rocks of favourable character continue c'oumvard; (i) extension of tho Moimataiari tumid; (c) prospecting groundbcncalhPost-tcrliary deposits between Karaka and Hapc Creeks.

2 llccfton Goldfield: («) Deeper exploration and cross-cutting at the Keep HDnrkJliuo; (b) extension of the Low Level Tunnel; (c) deeper exploration at Welcome Mine at Boatman's Crock; (rf) exlension of Golden Lead low-level tunnel nenr Mcrrijigs. 3. Otago Goldlields; General, deeper, nud longitudinal exploratiou on all the proved reefs. No particular one can be said to demand more special attention than others.

In many of the mines visited there is sufficient visible inducement to further working, and operations in that direction are m progress, but throughout all of them the following up of "tracks'" of reefs in search of other shootstku those l already known is very advisable. There is one more subject on which a few remarks may be permissible, and that is the recklessness as to the future which seems to have prevailed during the dividcuckayi-ig hies of the various mmes, All tne inquiries made by mc failed to clicitiuformation as to a sinelo .instance, where, during a.prosperous licnod, there w-as a reserve fund estab-i Jwljudfortao dead work, orwke

suchdcadwbrk' was\steadily kept in '^ls progress" during tho j working of rich ' ~<h| blocks of stono,; ,\lt ifould appear that " ( >J§ ,in a large proportion of the mines tho -*<\? good quartz was; sloped out from level 'f| to level, all' tho 'available proceeds be. i' «! yond current expenses being dividcd,and ■- fi' nothing kept iri'liaud for any fiituro ' 4 works of ah extohsivo or costly character. <* This system,_ or want of system, has been in past times, and I fear often still / 1 is, followed in tho Australian quartz. * mines; and tho sooner that mining dircc- *i tors and managers. ill effects the belter.- Assumirfg (S.minc to be dividend-paying, a modcratirpcrcciit. ? ago deducted from 'thd divisible profits , J wouUlbcmisscd.by uoono, and if placed ; *~ to a reservo fnnd forfuturo oxploration, *M or directed immediately to oeadwylc, woiildtcud to maintain confidence,'" and \V| to prevent tho subsequent tooth-draw mg 1 process of extracting calls from shareholders during periods of depression "