Page:Rambles on the Golden Coast of New Zealand.djvu/202

158 the Arahura district, is another of the large companies whose shares are partly held in London. The company’s ground is situated about ten miles north of Hokitika, and the capital is £150,000. The ground is exceptionally situated for its successful working, having a face of auriferous drift ranging from 200 to 500 ft. high, carrying gold more or less through the whole extent. The get away for the tailings cannot be surpassed, there being a large fall to the Arahura River, and the ground being remarkably free from large stones. The water rights held by this company are fully adequate to their requirements. Good progress is being made with extensive works, necessary for bringing in the large supply of water required, and it is expected in a few months that the company will commence sluicing operations. Mr Bonar is chairman of directors; Mr Gibson, manager; and Mr M‘Arthur, engineer.

Several smaller companies in various parts of Westland are worthy of notice, some yielding fair returns, and others showing great promise, but I refer to these five principal claims as likely to work out a new era in the history of gold-mining in Westland, believing that they are the precursors of other undertakings, which will not only yield handsome returns to the owners, but will give employment to a large number of men on these goldfields.

It may here be mentioned that of the gold exported for the twelve months ended 31st March 1884, the West Coast coalfields contributed 49 per cent. as against Otago 35 per cent., and Auckland 16 per cent.; or very nearly one-half, one-third, and one-sixth, respectively. The value of gold exported from the colony has averaged about a million sterling for many years. During the first three years’ existence of the West Coast, no less than 829,272 ozs. of gold, of the value of £3,317,118, was exported from the port of Hokitika, on which duty to the amount of £103,659 was paid to the Government. The whole of the gold at that time, and indeed the bulk of it up to the present time, has been the product of individual exertions of small parties of miners, and large areas of ground show signs of now being worked by companies, similar to those above described.

Wandering still northwards, in the Stafford and Goldsborough districts, mining claims are still being worked to advantage, though chiefly by individual labour; while in Kumara and Dillmans some claims are yielding the shareholders handsome returns. These districts have the benefit of the Waimea Water-Race and Holmes’s Race, both highly remunerative properties, the former held by the Government, the latter owned by Mr James Holmes of Kumara, who is likely to reap a deserved reward for his persevering enterprise.

Valuable deposits of silver are believed to exist in the Totara district, but, as yet, there have been no returns, though considerable expenditure has been incurred by one public company, and by individual prospectors. Copper ore has been discovered at the Haast, and in various other places in the southern portion of the district, but little has been done towards its development. Several coal seams are known to exist in Westland south, in the Haast, Paringa, Totara, and Kanieri districts. At Paringa a seam, 8 ft. thick and of superior quality, was worked for a short time; and near the Kanieri