PRODUCTION OF URANIUM FROM GOLD ORE

Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26121, 25 May 1950, Page 5

PRODUCTION OF URANIUM FROM GOLD ORE

South Africa Launches Ambitious Scheme

COLLABORATION WITH US. AND BRITAIN (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 11 p.m.) PRETORIA, May 24. ihe Union of South Africa has launched a secret scheme to produce uranium—the source material of the atomic bomb —trom gold ore. According to officials in Pretoria, the Union is likely to become the most important source of uranium in quantity in the world. The officials disclosed that pilot plants along the rich Wit"atersrand gold reef had already started producing uranium from gold tailings, which were normally wasted. Joint British, United States and South African consultations preceded the establishment of the plants, and although South African technicians are manning the plants, tripartite collaboration on research is continuing. The Union offered to sell her potential output to the British and American atomic energy authorities, but months of negotiations have failed to produce agreement. It is expected that a whole chain of processing factories will be set up on the Witwatersrand reef, where between 40 and 50 mines last year milled about 57,000,000 tons of gold ore. Among leading British and American scientists who recently visited Johannesburg to discuss uranium production was Sir John Cockcroft, Director of the British Supply Ministry’s Atomic Energy Research Establishment.