THE LYELL.

Westport Times, Volume VII, Issue 1092, 25 July 1873, Page 2

THE LYELL.

(fBOM OUR OWJT CORRESPONDENT.) Having read with interest and pleasure your correspondent's account of a "Trip to the Mokihinui and back," I feel that I should not be doing my duty to this community did I not endeavour to assist your correspondent and his, friends in their praiseworthy efforts of drawing public attention to the auriferous nature of the country around the head of the Mokihinui, and between that part and the Lyell Keefs. For the last eight months I have by all in my power steadily advocated the * opening up of this country. From information gathered from men whom I can trust, and who have actually worked in the locality, and who have, swag on back, climbed or scrambled over the hills and mountains lying between the Lyell and the Mokihinui; lam morally certain that there is a rich strip of country connecting the two above men« tioned localities, a strip rich in quartz and rich in alluvial. Men prospecting between the Lyell and Mokihinui have actually found gold in payable quantities, but the trouble and risk of procuring and carrying " tucker," was so great as to effectually daunt them from settling down to .steady work. The difficulties so graphically described by your correspondent, and experienced by him and his party in their trip to the Mokihinui, are nothing in comparison to what a digger on a prospecting trip across a similar country has to endure in his eager search after the precious metal. It is well known as a rule that miners who are possessed of a little capital are very chary in risking their all on " the chance " of discovering something good during a prospecting tour. Should they do so they know well that it is a case 6f make or break with them, and probably after they have spent their time and money in reaching a desirable locality they find themselves without the means of working the very ground thfey have spent their all in searching after. If the West Coast of New Zealand is ever to become the mining country that many expect it to be; a better system of prospecting must be adopted, and it does seem worse than ridiculous, when one reads in the columns of every newspaper the high and self-laudatory characters given by. members of the Provincial Councils of themselves and the wonders they have or " have not " done, to find that riot one of them has brains or ability'

'sufficient to tackle the momentous 'question of hOw best to open up new •goldfields or push ahead old ones. Mr O'Conor in his address to bis 'constituents at the Lyell took unto himself grdat credit for having placed ; asuin of money, £2000; on the estimates for the 'construction of a track from the bdkch to the Mokih'inui, and from 'thence to the Lyell. Now tbe'quesfion 'of the necessity of this track, arid the •'auriferous nature of the 'country through which it would pass, had been 'settled mouths ago by many practical 'miners 'in this district. Many men of \he right stamp have left the district in disgust, for the simple reason that it was next to impossible to penetrate into the country referred to, arid inore especially with winter approaching. Many, of these men are what may be teriried 'practical Geologists—'ine'n who 'can 'think and observe, as Well 'as handle the pick and shovel, and from 'their opinion of such, but one con'clusion can be arrived at, viz, that there is a strip or belt of country running right through this Island, and that in that strip or belt gold-bearing 'quartz reefs exists, and from that strip 'came and still conies all the alluvial gold now being found on the West 'Coast Goldfields. Some portions of this strip or belt are richer than 'others,, for instance, the Mokihinui, from all accounts, is richer than the Lyell, the Lyell in turn, is better than Reefton, "and" again Reefton is better 'than Collingwood; each and all of 'these localities are situated in the same strip of country. There may be and there no doubt are. parallel strips of 'country 'equally rich, but it stands to reason that where the mountain ridges are high there is less difficulty in discovering the formation or strata of which such formations are composed. For instance, iu the Lyell many of the the reefs lie exposed on the surface, while lower down towards the sea a prospector would require to sink hundreds of feet below the surface to discover a quartz reef. What I should prfjpljse then is this, let one of our M.P.C.'s in his place in the Provincial Council move that a certain sum of money be voted and " expended " for the purpose of opening up this known auriferous belt of country. The 'matter should be placed in the hands of some practical men who have a knowledge of the country, tbey should be authorised to take the evidence of miners acquainted with the different localities, then choose from amongst these miners three or four men willing to go on a prospecting trip in Spring ; give these men say two pounds a week each, and in the event of their discovering a new goldfields, offer induceinents sufficient to induce t'~ein to persevere in their undertaking. We will suppose that these prospectors are successful —would not a new era 'of prosperity dawn upon the haltstarved inhabitants of the West Coast 'Goldfields ; and supposed this search prove unsuccessful the cost of such a party would be as nothing in comparison to that endured by private parties in their futile efforts to accomplish the same end. The election 'Of members to serve in the Provincial Council will come off shortly, and it is devoutly to be hoped that no miner will record his vote for any candidate unless such candidate will distinctly promise to make the subject of opening up the country," and the " discovery of new goldfields" the ieading question for discussion and action of the Nelson Provincial Council.