GOLD MINING INDUSTRY

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21581, 18 September 1935, Page 8

GOLD MINING INDUSTRY

SLIGHT DECLINE ': IN ' PRODUCTION ' REVENUE FROM GOLD TAX, £ 102,616 [From Our Parliamentary Reporter.] WELLINGTON, September 17. The Minister for Mines (the Hon. C. E. Macmillon) presented the Mines Statement for the year 1934 to the House of Representatives this afternoon. The report states, inter alia:— During the year, 542,8630z of bullion, valued at £1,105,840, was produced, a decrease in quantity of 40,384 oz, but tin increase in value of £96,261, as compared with the previous year. The gold content of the bullion is estimated at 160,2480z, valued at £1,158,607. » /, , Gold won from quartz-mining during 1934 shows a reduction of ll,?14oz compared with the previous year, while increases of BieOoz and 20470z respectively are recorded for alluvial mining and dredge mining. The large drop in production from quartz-mining was principally due to industrial troubles at the Blaekwater and Alexander Mines, where Joint output was 874102 below; the figure for ,1933. The mine was idle for three months and the Alexander mine for five months, fit flies© mines had worked their normal time there is no doubt that the total gold production for the Dominion would have been a record for the last 11 years. The gold output from the Waihi and the Waihi Grand Junction mines again showed a substantial drop, the deduction being 8850oz. There has been an enormous increase in the number of small alluvial claims operating In the country. In 1932, 1807 claims produced 2?,2140x, in 1933, 2410 Claims produced 35,38108, while in 193.4 488? claims produced 43,54102. In regard to dredging in 1933 there were seven dredges operating in New Zealand. In 1934 the number increased to 12. At the time of writing there ar® 15 operating and two temporarily idle. Early in 1936 it is anticipated that 23 dredges will be at work, and within two years' time the information available to the Department indicates the likelihood that there will be more than 40 such plants producing gold. During the last year a great amount of boring has been carried out by syndicates and companies in search of dredging properties. It is estimated that there are about 80 alluvial and keystone drills in operation, and it is considered that more scientific prospecting of alluvial areas is being undertaken at.the present time than ever before in the history of the industry. Dredging possibilities present an entirely new aspect not only on account of the price, of gold, but also on account of the great depths to which modern machines can work and their low cost of operation a cubic yard. Goldfields Revenue and Gold Duty The amount of goldfields revenue received and credited to the accounts of local bodies during the year ended March 81, 1936, was £24,438 17s 2d, an increase of £5,058 15s over the previous year. During the same period the total of the three duties on exported gold amounted to £112,755 17s sd, of which £7,057 14s Id was credited to the accounts of local bodies under section 12 of the Gold Duty Act, 1008. The special duty of 12s 6d an ounce amounted to £102,616 16s 7d, which sum was paid into the Consolidated Fund. Mining Privileges That interest is being maintained in the mining industry is shown by the fact that during the year ended March 31, 1935, 3051 licenses for mining privileges were granted under the provisions of the Mining Act, 1926, as compared with 3093 for the previous year. Out of this number 437 were licenses for claims authorising the holders to mine for gold. .For the same period 79 mining privileges, including nine licenses for claims, were struck off the registers under the provisions of section 188 of the act. State Aid to Mining The sum of £8712 was voted for expenditure by way of subsidies for prospecting. The balance of unexpended authorities at March 31, 1934, and those issued during the year, less cancellations, amounted to £6047 6s 6d. Of this amount, £3786 12s 8d was expended by way of actual subsidies during the year, leaving a balance of £2260 13s lOd. authorised but not spent at March 31, 1935. The number of men given employment through the