BIG SILVER MINE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 192, 16 August 1939, Page 10

BIG SILVER MINE.

AMERICAN ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT AT MOUNT ISA. An indication of American enterprise in developing mineral resources in Australia was given to-day by Mr. J. H. Catty, mining engineer, of Queensland, who arrived by the VVanganella from Sydney on a brief visit to the Dominion. He is a brother of Mr. Harold Gatty, New Zealand manager for Pan-American Airways.

"The Americans are very entejprising," he said. "Their technicians arc thoroughly skilled in mining development, ami tho companies are able to command sufficient capital to plan their operations on a large scale."

At Mount Isa, where lie had been engaged for the past ten years, he added, £4,000,000 of American and British capital had been invested to mine lowgrade silver and lead ore. Tests ha:l shown that the reef had a length o' three miles and an average width of about 200 ft. The present output was 3500 tons of crude ore every 24 hours and was increasing. Over 2000 men were engaged, and the depth reached was 2000 ft, improving as the minidescended. According to estimates the mine would have a life of another tiO years. It was the largest mine of its kind in the world, and after ten years' development was now beginning to show a return to shareholders.