MINING liYDUSTRV. 23 1 



All claims at Wyalong are held by virtue of the miner's rifrht, which 

 costs 10s. per annum, and entitles the holder to occupy and work (50 i'eet 

 along the line of any quartz vein or reef by 4U0 feet in width, eight 

 such chaims may be conjointly held, that is/480 feet along tlie lino of 

 reef by 400 feet in Avidth. As a rule, four, six, and eight men's claims 

 are the areas worked. 



There are forfeiture clauses in the Mining Regulations, by which a 

 miner's right holder can apply to the Local Warden to be put into 

 possession of any share, interest, or claim, which has not been ethciently 

 represented and worked for a period of three consecutive days, aud 

 which the Warden, after taking evidence on oath, declares aljaiidoned 

 and hands over to the applicant. This cannot be done under the 

 leasing system, as the Hon. the Minister for Mines and Agriculture has 

 alone the power to cancel a lease on account of the nonfulfilment of 

 the labour conditions. This is the reason that the leasing system is in 

 favour with capitalists, as they consider the title of a gold lease is 

 better than if the same area were held under miner's right only. The 

 real fact is that a claim, or mining area, held by virtue of a miner's 

 right, must be efficiently Avorked, or it becomes liable to forfeiture, 

 whereas leaseholders have many safeguards, even if they do not comply 

 with the labour conditions of their lease. 



In addition to the claim allowed by virtue of the miner's right, a 

 miner's right holder is also entitled to occupy one quarter of an acre of 

 land for residence purposes. 



No gold leases are granted in alluvial, unless in old or wet ground, 

 which requires large capital, and is beyond the means of the individual 

 working miner. 



The area allowed in alluvial, that is, in dry and shallow ground, is 

 100 feet by 100 feet for one man, and 300 feet by 300 feet fur six men, 

 the largest area allowed for one claim. 



The Wyalong quartz veins are not large, they vary froui a mere 

 thread to about 18 inches, and the gold is associated with galena and 

 zinc blende, hence they may be classed as refractory ores which require 

 a special treatment. Where the concentrates have been saved they have 

 yielded as high as 4 oz. of gold per ton ; and it is roughly estimated 

 that during 1895 fully 3,000 oz. of gold have been extracted from said 

 concentrates, which have mostly been collected by the primitive mode 

 of blanketings. Hitherto these concentrates have been forwarded to the 

 Clyde works, near Granville, and some to Victoria and South Australia 

 for treatment ; there are now, how^ever, in course of erection and just 

 completed, improved gold-saving appliances, including chlorination 

 works, which will in future do away w^th the forwarding of coucen- 

 trates to other parts for treatment. 



The Lambing Flat, or Young Gold-field, once so fauious for its 

 shallow alluvial gold deposits, is still producing gold in sufficient 

 quantities to a number of miners. Grenfell is famous for extensive 

 quartz and alluvial auriferous deposits. This gold-field was discovered 

 in 1866, and at one time vielded as much as 8,000 oz. of gold per 

 week. It has supported a large number of miners ever since its first 

 discovery. The Grenfell quartz reefs are generally of a great width ; 

 in one instance as much as 1 5 feet, yielding 1 i oz. of gold per ton, 

 whereas quartz reefs in the same district yielded as much as / oz. of 



