GOLD FROM FIJI

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 124, 19 February 1935, Page 11

GOLD FROM FIJI

Preliminary Tests Very Encouraging SIR C. MARR’S VISIT Dominion Special Service. Auckland, February 18. Preliminary testing of goldfields in Fiji belonging to Mineral Development, Limited, and Tavua Gold Development, Limited, has produced encouraging results, and soon 1000 men and a quarter of a million of capital will be employed in developing the mines. The managing director of the companies, Sir Charles Marr, who is returning to Sydney by the liner Niagara after a visit to the fields, said this morning that they had opened up well and gave promise of considerable success. Sir Charles said there was only one other company already operating, in Fiji and satisfactory profits were being made from it. There were difficulties in gold mining in Fiji owing to the great deprli that had to be worked. Alreadv test shafts had been sunk to a depth of 100 ft. and metallurgists thought it probable that the seams would run lower to some 200 ft. The gold produced was very similar to that found in the Coromandel Peninsula, containing a large proportion of silver. Very Confident of Success. ■OTherejs no chance of a small company succeeding in Fiji,” said Sir Charles. “Operations are necessarily very costly, and thousands must be spent before a return is shown. My two companies are prepared to sink over £200,000 in the venture, so confident are we of success. There are alreadv 100 men at work on the claims, and when I return to Sydney and arrange for the purchase of additional equipment more men will be taken on until we reach our full staff of about 1000 toward the end of next year. The mining engineer in charge of operations in Fiji is Mr. E. G. Banks, formerly manager of the Waihi mine.” Asked if he had any fea.rs of gold depreciating in value, Sir Charles said that he thought rather that it would rise. “I,expect to see gold go to somewhere in the vicinity of £lO (Australian) to the ounce,” he declared. Organised Duke’s Tour. Sir Charles received Ills knighthood in recognition of his work in organising the Duke of Gloucester’s tour throughout Australia. Although holding three portfolios m the Commonwealth Government he spent eight* months co-ordinating the various services and working out schedules to make sure ( ''that everything would work according to plan. He actually travelled over the route to be followed by his Royal Highness and arranged details witli the civic authorities of each town.