In 1887 and 1890 Brown had published records of the mines of South Australia to draw attention to mineral resources and to the unsystematic way in which they were worked. He criticized the licence laws as unfair to genuine prospectors and called for a school of mines.
Brown published records about South Australia's mines in 1887 and 1890 to highlight the state's mineral wealth and the disorganized mining practices. He criticized the licensing laws as unfair to legitimate prospectors and proposed establishing a mining academy.