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Waikato Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 2380, 11 October 1887, Page 2

Titrc public interest in the Waitoa is still on the increase; and there are signs that a great movement in that direction will take place within a very short time. From the information gained by our representative, who accompanied tho Mayor of Hamilton on Saturday on a visit to the fields, it is evident that an immense amount of capital is seeking investment in the new channel of enterprise. Several, syndicates representing capitalists in Australia, Christchurch and Auckland, are making great efforts to buy up all the private lands within the Thames Valley that are contiguous to the region already found to bo auriferous. The agent of some of these companies, Mr Paten of Auckland, proceeded to wait on Mr Gould on Saturday to conclude terms for the purchase of five hundred acres of his estate. Wo have, indeed, heard on good authority that a large New Zealand corporation lias already made overtures to the landowners to buy up all their properties. The owners, however, prefer to await further dcvolopoments and are not eager to part with their lands at this early stage of the new era that seems to be setting in. It will thus be soon that the danger this journal has so persistently warned its readers against, namely that of seeing these richly auriferous lands looked up in the hands of monopolists, has been, audisstiH,very great, Tho observations of the Herald’s special in Saturday’s issue must be read between the lines, keeping in mind the information we have given above, for his report is one that is favourable from a capitalist’s point of view. Our contemporary’s sub-loader on tho subject in the same issue, takes a different side of the question, and is more in harmony with the attitude we have taken from the outset, for it blames tho Government for not taking steps to obviate the difficulty that lay in the way of proclaiming the Waitoa an open goldfield. The landowners, however, are on the whole amenable to business on reasonable terms, and wo do not think much difficulty will bo experienced by independent parties in arranging with them to take up suitable areas of ground for mining purposes. There are throe distinct formations found in tho soil. The first stratum met with is a conglomerate gravel, fi.no in grain; the next is a white soft sand, and below this is a sandy clay of a silicions character. All these strata arc gold bearing, clearly of volcanic origion, and have berm, at some remote, period deposited over tho face of the country by violent eruptions of neighbouring volcanoes from which they were ejected in a liquid form.

The Waifcoa will offer opportunities for all classes ; the capitalist, or companies, can take up certain quantities of land, erect machinery, and work the claims on a largo scale ; others, with limited sums at their command, can take up claims either individually, or, in small associations, and can prosecute their search after the precious mineral on less ambitious lines ; whilst poor men can find employment at good wages all round, the more industrious of whom, by saving their earnings, can later on take up claims of their own, and in their turn become employers of labour. The scuff can bo panned out, it is true, but only the free llakey gold would be saved in that way. All waste, however, can be avoided by adopting the goldsaving process claimed by Mr Sindon, of Alexandra, in his recent invention ; and if, as lie asserts, lie can supply those machines at as low a cost as ,£lO, then his machinery is a great blessing for the small minors. We would strongly advise Mr Sinden to erect a specimen machine in Hamilton, and give a public exhibition of its method.