THE Inangahua Times. PUBLISHED TRI-WEEKLY. FRIDAY, AUGUST 6,1880.

Inangahua Times, Volume II, 6 August 1880, Page 2

THE Inangahua Times. PUBLISHED TRI-WEEKLY. FRIDAY, AUGUST 6, 1880.

Tns following circular has just been addressed to the managers of quartz mining companies throughout the Colony, by Dr Hector, Executive Commissioner for New Zealand at the Sydney Exhibition :— " On the 4tb June, 18*f9, a letter was received from Augustus Marris, Esq , Secretary to the International Exhibition, Sydney, stating that there would be shown in operation at theExhibtion, machinery, and a method on a working scale for extracting the precious metals, not only from untreated tailings, but also from those which have been treated by the ordinary processes, and in which a notable percentage of gold or silver has been left. He also mens tioned that there was every reason to believe tbat the machinery and # method referred to would save 50 to 60 per cent, of the gold left in tailings which have gone through the grinding operation of machines such as Wheeler's or Berdan's pans, or of Arrastras, and that as the process was a cheap one, not requiring the use of smelting or reverberating furnaces, it ought greatly to increase the production of gold in New Zealand, and the New Zealand Commissioners and others are invited to send over Bamplesof tailings to be operated on. On this invitation a number of parcels of tailings were obtatned by the New Zealand Commissioners, and forwarded to Sydney, but unfortunately, the owners of the machinery were unable to erect their apparatus at the Exhibition buildings. However, the experiments were undertaken, with the same machinery, by the directors of the School of Mines, Ballarat, and the samples from New Zealand were accordingly despatched there in November last. The objee' sought in these eiperiipents, it may be stated, is not so much to determine, the value of any particular sample of tailings, as to show by comparison with previously made i-isoay bow far the new machinery is capable of receiving good results. A full report of the assay and treatment of the tailinga submitted by the Commissioners for this Golonv has since been received.— James Hectok. Executive Commissioner."