QUEENSLAND GEMS

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 81, 3 October 1923, Page 9

QUEENSLAND GEMS

RICH SAPPHIRE FIELD

GOVERNMENT MONOPOLY OF

SALES.

(PROM OCR OITN CORRBBPONDENT.) SYDNEY, 26th September. Queensland is commonly referred to as Australia's richest . State—richest, that is to say, in natural resources; for !in developed resources New South Wales must lead for many years yet but it is riot generally known that the wealth thus referred to includes :i wonderful variety of gems. Queensland, in tact, possesses a greater variety of gems than any other country i>i the world,- and some of them are of fne quality. Sapphires to the value of ±-60,000 per annum are regularly produced from rich fields afAnakie and this Uoirld be considerably increased were improved methods of marketing introduced. This 'has led the State" Government to create for itself a monopoly of sales for the Anakie gems, and it has now appointed a well-known expert, Mr. H. N. Knowles, to visit the European capitals to dispose of them About £15,000 worth of gems have already been sold by the Government It 'is understood that approximately £25 - 000 %vorth of sapphires are now in. hand m London for disposal on Government account. Mr.- Knowles will, on arrival in London about tha middle of November, at once take up the matter of the disposal of these gems. He will also visit the Continent, where there is a large demand for Queensland sapphires Mr. Knowles states that, in addition t*> London, Paris, and Switzerland there is a surprisingly large demand for gems in Germany, largo buyin" on Ger ma.n account taking place in London' He points out that in normal times the output of the Anakie fields is worth close to £60,000 per annum, and the arrangement of satisfactory markets for this most valuable output will be of im mense importance to Queensland He hopes that as a result of his present trip ifc will bo possible in future tn regular y forward parcels of gems for dwßosal at satisfactory prices. ,