THE WAITOA GOLDFIELD.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 2387, 27 October 1887, Page 2

THE WAITOA GOLDFIELD.

V. F, have no fresh nows from the Waitoa since our last issue. The representatives of the Christchurch Company are, it is presumed, prosecuting their investigations of the character of the deposits on Mr J. B. Smith s land, on which such grave doubts have been cast. It is to bo hoped that the mystery will he speedily made clear, and should it. turn out that the wa<h-dirt lias been tampered with in order to deceive the public and inflict a fraud nn an extensive a scale, then we declare that no efforts must be spared to discover the party or parties who have been guilty of the shameful act, and bring them to justice. It is possible, however, that the auriferous nature of the soil is very patchy, and that the rich prospects have been obtained from certain of these patches which may have been struck. That is the only way we can account for the conflicting tests obtained from samples forwarded from other properties, oilier than Mr Smith’s. It is to be hoped for the credit of all concerned, and for the repntatian of the district, that such may be the case. In the meantime Messrs Price Bros’, order for the erection of the large plant on the Company’s ground at Waitoa is held in abeyance, as the directors have decided to give the land a more thorough teat before incuring so large an expenditure. We clip the following paragraph from yesterday’s Herald, by which it will be seen that the company is still in doubt ; Chhwtohuuch, Tuesday. To-night's Telegraph says that recently an assay was made in Christchurch of some of the sand which was brought from the Waitoa goldfield by Mr T. H. Haines. The result was a deposit nf black sand, amongst which was a number of particles of gold. The assayer placed these under the microscope, and came to the conclusion that they were gold filings. DOUBTS. In order to test the matter thoroughly he filed a sovereign, and examined the result. The examination disclosed the fact that the two samples of gold were not by any means identical, and therafore a doubt is created as to the theory of Mr Pond that the gold found by him in the stuff from Smith’s section was fillings. So strongly did the observer feel as to the matter that he has resolved to hold Ids shares in the company.