Page:Old Westland (1939).pdf/286

258 era, it must not be assumed that the Province as a gold producer then petered out. Far from it. Here are some startling official figures, supplied by the Mines Department, which need no explanation: Total amount of gold won in Westland (1864-1938), 6,644,601 ounces, valued at £25,941,735; average value produced over 75 years, £359,223 per annum, which means that gold to the value of almost £1,000 has been won each and every day the field has been in existence. Westland will continue to produce the metal royal for many, many years. The confidence of its pioneer legislators when they adopted the prophetic motto adorning the provincial seal, “Et mea messis erit” (“And my harvest is to come”), has been fully justified. Even to-day the deeper leads have not been tapped—the best is yet to be.