The Sumpter miner. [volume] (Sumpter, Or.) 1899-1905, 1902-12-03
GOLD DREDGING
IN NEW ZEALAND.
Interesting Details OF the De.
velopment Of the Process.

interesting report Of the wardens Of IL
West Coast district, where modern gol
dredging originated, and where il hs
seen its greatest development.
Abstracts of the report are publishc
in the New Iceland Mines Record.
The situation IN that country is som,
what different from what IL II in thi
country, hut there in much To bc leatnc
from the experience of the Australian
miners. II seems that for some year
there has been quite craze for spcculat
ing IN the stocks oi gold.drcdgin
companies, and, of course, there hav
been many mismanagcd wildcat coi,
Germs and costly failures, caused iron
the booming oi worthless stock.
In the Otago district, where there ar,
over hundred drc,igcs, unusually higl
waters much oi the year lcssencd tn,
output, but u great many drcdges Weld
ed steady and satisfactory returns. Re
turns from 80 drcdgcs show avcrag,
weekly returns of from Is to lG7 ounce,
oi gold aud II total product Of il,0i:
ounces. Twcnty-one oi these pai,
dividends amounting to about t225 900
During the year ending July 10, 1902,
Wdrcdges IN the Oinyo produced ~ ,O75
ounces. IL all New Zealand 100 dre,lves
produced Id, ,3l5 ounces, valued ut Gil2,
o75, and II total weekly average of ~
ounces. Dre,igcs privately owned are
not reported upon.
Warden Burgess of the Otago distric,
reports that during the year ~ com
panics were wound up IN his district
some after II drc,lgc had been completes,
and necessary preparation for work
made. This WAS IN many eases for lack
oi having sufficient capital provided.
The warden observes:
"Thc experience Of the past year has
shown that II IL n dangerous policy to
limit the capital III the company to an
amount which is only, and IN some eases
barely, sufficient to put u drcdgc upon
the claim. The fate oi too many COM
pnnics show either want oi foresight
on tn. part M the management ar
grievouS misfalcula,ioN as Ia the cost ri
erecting and eluipping the drcdgcs. II
the drcisc is not fortunate enough to
ut once yet gold. operations have Ia be
suspended by want III the necessary
funds To continue, and lcss financial xs-
s's,ancr Is ob,ainrd-latierly u very diff
icult matter-,hr company is inevitably
forced into liquidation. The directors
would almost seem, in many cases, Ia
have proceeded upon the assumption
that gold IN Ia G found every here
along the he'd oi the river, aud that il
WAS only necessary Ia start the drednc
workin. I" NJ once secure payable re-.
turns. The consequences have proved
disastrous Ia the companies concerned,
and the pity oi II Is that IN several in
stances 1t seems rvidcn, that, but ior
the want ui the necessary capital Ia
rnabl. the company Ia carry ON ior
some time unrrmuncrative operations
while testing the claim, ventures nov
abandoned would have IN the end PROV
.d payable.
There is every probability ,ha, there
will In u marked increase at the end oi
this year, Public confidence in drcdgc
mining has no doub, been recently in.
lnriously affected by the want oi sue
".ss attending the operations Of many
''i the new companies which came into
, xistence during the last two or three
! ears, but the steady and satisfactory
sturns from 81 many dredges now nj
work in various parts of the district are