The Nome nugget., 1902-09-17
FUTURE OF THIS REGION
Opinion of a We1l-knOWn
 Mining Han.

Actua.ed by . desire 4to:ge all the .opinions favorable to the stlau'e develop .ment of Alaska in general aRd Nome in particu!ar,aa representative Of THE NUGGET Std in quest otsOne of the outside m ;h.n. men who m this season s work has .b.Nught into view. and about tue first one coralled was MT. w. F. Gore, a miaing man from BriLjsh ,Columb bia, who has been here ar@ Ing rthe summer. Mr. Gore having had an extended experieu e in tne placer fields Ot Aus, alia, SOphh AnersciL, ,Ei.ilish Columbia and rthe ,snised States, TIE NUGGET man asked .him .ior his views on the above subjects. sOn tbe future 0f Alaska ,.sss: a mil ing rfield N,. Gore 4Sas .,quite explicit.
 'I consider Alaska as the gseaI est :tfie,0 'Or the investment of ,ee o.sal 'd. sany placer country have yet been iO, 7" .ssid Mir. Gore. ''.nd not only for placer ,,nining hut for OtAer kin1s.of mining, sbpt before you will have very heavy invest ments made 4there must be a rreiOrin io the mining laws, ,0r at least tin she interpretation of them. For tinsta ace. after man has recorded his .clnim Do other record should be per- united to be made until the first srecOlder's rights have lapsed by failure sto do the necessary assessment work, etc. The dimensions of claim .shouldibe ,rocl;-bOund. In other words |, 1Nl rnl lal tn Sot his stakes by actual so .t;,at thepe could be no question about ihis right .ts that particular piece Of .grounI, and thHs the innocent pur- chaser would be protected
 A'In my judgment, toO, fhe matter of ttbe assessment work should be taken sup and the lOeatOrs not permitted to dc the work by affidavit, but be compelled ito do it in 2 thorough b,isinesslike sHanNer, so that it wOula show.
 :'I have keen On claims this summer ,Ehe. c he assessment work consisted Of srocks piled one on top of another. That sdOesn't td'epresent the ground. It sim ply enables Q man to hold apiece of ground until his more conscientious tneighb0r has developed his claim, and then the adjoining fellow takes advantage of tho fact and. perhaps, -seils at a good figure without it having .cOst him a cent. Another reform that is.needed in tbis regard is that when Q man or men gre wOrkinGa number of adjoining claims, as a company. the money that is being expended to develop one claim should be permitted to stand ier the assessment work on rtke remainder. In other words If I, khavipg purchased or acquired, say, half sa dozen adjoining claims, am working .one fully stO,th extent of several thou sand dollars think that the expendi- ,ture should be allowed as q setOtH against the assessment work in the other five, because in the latter case it 'means the expenditure, or throwing :away needlessly of about five hundred dollars for which there is no occasion.
 Capital is timid. Mining is blsi- mess that requires ard looks for kindly ltreatment at the hands of the law, and when it finds itself up against anything Hike 'cinch' game it flies away like g startled lawn. think it would be wise for people to recognize the fact that the days for what has been termed petty larceny mining is over. Fly that Il mean 10 disrespect to the men of the rocker, 'Lsng Tom and smaE sluiee,
 but beyond all perad venture the day ot the individual lninerlis over, and they must have sthe assistance of capital be- 'fORe sthey, can accomplish any great re- .sults. 1t would not: be the case if Hot Air benches and.elailns like Discovery :and No. 1 Anvil were being fOuad every .day. Doubtless there are others yet to be found, but in the mEin deep banks of comparatively low snade ground will ihe hydrauliesd with prOler hydraulic