letters to the Editor Nfld government takes step to boost

The news that the Newfoundland government has taken steps to boost exploration in that province is indeed welcome (N.M., Sept 19/88).

As part of the provincial government’s program, financial incentives or direct grants will be provided to encourage individuals and small companies to undertake grassroots prospecting.

At the recent Mines Ministers Conference in Quebec City, the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada asked the provinces to provide just this kind of assistance to grassroots prospectors. We pointed out that the federal government’s new Canadian Exploration Incentive Program (CEIP) will offer financial incentives to junior mining companies and incorporated individuals undertaking exploration, but that most prospectors will not be in a position to benefit from CEIP.

A thriving mining industry depends on ongoing exploration, and exploration depends, in large measure on the efforts of individual prospectors. Newfoundland, by stepping in to encourage these individual efforts, has indicated clearly the importance of grassroots prospecting to the Newfoundland mining industry and potentially to the Newfoundland economy. We commend that province for its initiative. John P. Larche President Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada Toronto, Ont.