THE GOLD MINING INDUSTRY IN SURINAM. 
By J. W. Donatpson Aiken, F.R.G.S., A.M.I. Mecu. HE. 
Failure with a capital F. seems to be the net result of all efforts hitherto 
made to exploit the undoubtedly rich placer ground known to exist in this 
dependency of Holland. As the country itself is not to blame, a cause of 
failure must be found, so “the awful climate”; the almost insuperable diffi- 
culties of the transport problem; and the usual hundred and one “reasons 
why ” of “the man who didn’t” are forthwith trotted out. The reasons 
given only illustrate the adage “‘ A bad workman blames his tools.” Dutch 
Guiana, unfortunately, has been no exception to that peculiar fate which 
seems to dog almost every tropical country where mining is embarked upon, 
the early years of the industry being marked by a decided preponderance of 
failures over successes. This peculiar state of affairs may be directly attribut- 
able to any or all of the following causes, viz. :-— 
(1.) Inaccurate reports, due to careless or Incompetent prospecting of the 
property. 
(2.) Injudicious selection of machinery due to irresponsible management 
and want of knowledge of local requirements. 
(3.) An expensive and unreliable labour force. 
(4.) A badly organised and consequently expensive transport. 
(5.) And finally—*slackness.” This is a very prevalent microbe in the 
tropics, and affects some people so seriously that six months suffices to trans- 
form them into “devotees of the long chair,” and disciples of “ Let it slide.” 
Observations made during a recent trip to the Surinam goldfields, indicate 
pretty clearly that any and all of the causes enumerated above have figured 
largely in keeping this district in the backward condition in which we find it 
to-day. 
During my investigations I came, everywhere, upon evidence of the extrava- 
gant and ill-advised dispersion of capital which seems to have been the rule 
rather than the exception. To-day that capital is represented by tons upon 
tons of more or less unsuitable machinery cast down anyhow in the Surinam 
bush, and the once high hopes of the trustful investor are now as far from 
realisation as the machinery is from civilisation. 
I think it was a gentleman hailing from America who once said, “ You can 
fool all the world some of the time and some of the world all the time, but you 
can't fool all the world all the time.’ This man was evidently a person of 
some worldly knowledge and the true inwardness of his philosophy is seen and 
appreciated when one looks around at the heterogeneous and rusting mass of 
miscellaneous hardware which has been fired into this colony at the instance of 
the self-styled “ mining engineers,’’ who ruled the destinies of these unfortu- 
