MINING NEWS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 139, 14 June 1935, Page 3

MINING NEWS.

» BATTERY FOR THAMES. MOANATAIARI PLANT. TO OPERATE SHORTLY. Arrangements have been completed for reopening the Moanataiari battery for public crushing. The battery has been acquired by the Moanataiari Battery Company from tiie liquidator of the Caledonian-Kuianui-Moiinataiari Gold Mining Company, Ltd. It has 30 heads of stampers and one specimen crusher, and in addition is fully equipped with a cyanide plant.

A representative of the new company stated to a "Star" representative that itwas proposed to start the battery on June 2i with ten or 15 heads and to increase the capacity as the demand warranted. He said the demand for increased crushing capacity on the field had been created by the numerous companies which were now producing ore, and the inability of the small three-stamper battery at the Thames School of Mines to cope with the increasing output. Already these companies had a large quantity of ore awaiting treatment. Two groups had asked that five stamps at the Moanataiari battery be set aside indefinitely for their use, a»id five other companies had sufficient ore available to keep the battery going f>r six months, working one shift with tnn heads. In addition to this, it was proposed to make a start on the Caledonian (1934) Limited dumps, estimated to contain 75,000 tons.

It was stated that it was the aim of the company to crush at a price that would attract low grade ore. There was no desire to compete with the Thames School of Mines in the treatment of small parcels of rich ore. It was also stated that the starting of the battery emphasised the need for the maintenance of the Thaniea water race, which wns originally built for mining purposes. Mr. Kenneth Cowles has been appointed battery superintendent. He was formerly battery superintendent for the New Sylvia Company, and prior to that was with the Waihi-Paeroa Gold Extraction Company.