224 PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION C. 



It will be seen by a perusal of them that the value of the 

 different minerals raised varies greatly, but that Gold is the only 

 one which has been worked in each colony. So uniformly does 

 this metal appear to be distributed that each colony has proved 

 to contain stores of it which are by no means contemptible, while 

 from Victoria the quantity raised reaches an almost fabulous 

 value — Victoria stands first on the list with the enoi'mous output 

 of 54,393,855 ounces, valued at £217,571,528 up to the close of 

 1886, and New Zealand comes next with 10,997,729 ounces, 

 valued at £43,231,689. The total value of the gold I'aised in the 

 colonies since 1851 is no less than £318,264,485. 



The next mineral in actual money value is Copper, which has 

 reached £25,781,990, of which South Australia contributed 

 £18,620,603, and New South Wales £4,964,269. The next is 

 Coal with a total value of £19,170,764, of which £18,356,732 

 comes from New South Wales ; then Tin, the total value of which 

 is £14,119,115, and New South Wales contributed £7,402,340, 

 Tasmania, £3,578,403, and Queensland, £2,472,025. The Silver 

 raised to the end of 1886 is only £1,035,308. of which the largest 

 quantity is from New South Wales, valued at £570,515, but 

 during subsequent years the returns have been enormously 

 increased by the outputs of Broken Hill and Sunny Corner, as 

 well as other mines. 



In minerals not otherwise specified, a total value of £4,840,330 

 has been raised. New Zealand ranking highest with £3,129,294, 

 this sum being largely made up with Kauri Gum. 



It will be apparent that the largest outputs of the difierent 

 minerals are as follow : — 



Gold— Victoria £217,571,528 



Copper — South Australia ... 18,620,603 



Coal— New South Whales .. 18,356,732 



Tin „ „ „ ... 7,402,340 



Silver „ „ „ ... 570,515 



Other Minerals— New Zealand 3,129,294 



The enormous yield of gold as compared with other minerals 

 should do a great deal to answer the assertions, which are so 

 freely made prejudicial to the gold mining industry, more especially 

 when it is borne in mind that, even in New South Wales the 

 value of gold raised is nearly double that of coal. 



It will not, perhaps, be outside the scope of this paper to 

 review briefly the conditions under which these different deposits 

 occur. 



As regards the gold by far the greater returns have been 

 obtained from alluvial deposits. In the earlier days this alluvial 

 gold w^as easily got and in some cases the deposits were of sur- 

 prising richness. The large returns in Victoria dui'ing the years 

 1852-1862 were almost exclusively from alluvial, and such deposits 

 as the Woolshed Valley, near Beechworth, were by no means 

 uncommon. 



