Consolidated Silver Now Producing Concentrate

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32273, 16 April 1970, Page 23

Consolidated Silver Now Producing Concentrate

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, April 15. The directors of Consolidated Silver Mining Company of New Zealand, Ltd, said today that ore is currently being produced from the Silver Queen and Camoola mines, and that continuous production of silver concentrate has now begun.

The company’s consulting chemical engineers had reported that their trials of the

chemical digester have proved successful. Reporting on exploration activity at Great Barrier Island, the directors said that further work on the southern end was tending to confirm the original indications of a substantial quantity of workable grade ore. Subject to further satisfactory exploration, the company would undertake the feasibility study of full scale production. This would require substantial capital and it was intended to promote an operating company for this present investigation. Inquiries suggested that a site at Thames for a central mill would be suitable to process this ore and that from other sources. On the northern end of the barrier, further exploration was continuing over the mineralised areas.

FIORDLAND Referring to exploration in Fiordland, they said the company now held, or had under application, about 120,000 acres. Exploration to date had discovered a large layered “gabbo” body with occurrences of magnetite and ilmenite bodies. Samples taken from the surface in this general area had been shown by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research to contain minor copper and nickel sulphide values. In keeping with its policy, the company had arranged with the University of Auckland geology department to carry ■ sut a research programme in the area. A doctoral student would begin this next spring. South Island exploration bad been extended into Nelson and Westland, the directors said.