First Lead Mine In N.Z. To Be Opened At Te Aroha

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 August 1949, Page 3

First Lead Mine In N.Z. To Be Opened At Te Aroha

WELLINGTON,-. This Day (0.C.) —New Zealand’s first lead mine—at Te Aroha —will probably be in operation in about two years. Prelim- '■ inary investigations indicate that the 'site is also rich in gold, silver, zinc, and copper. ; A company shortly to be gazetted . expects to spend the intervening period tracing the lead seam, which straddles a ridge in the Tui area, about two miles from 'Te Aroha. . I History Of Area The history of. the area as a potential mining site goes back to the ’nineties. Gold and silver was found there, but the presence of the base i metals prevented treatment. Analyses taken then showed the ore to contain nearly 43 per cent, of lead, 26 per cent, of zinc, and up to 11.96 per cent, of copper. At the time a quantity of ore was mined, but only 30 per- cent of the gold in it could be extracted. Bulk lots of the ore were shipped to Ausi tralia, Germany, Japan and Swansea, South Wales. Japan gave an undertaking before the Second World War to accept, at a good price, all the ore that could be produced, but the scheme did not eventuate. The first attempt to work the area was made in 1891. A company was formed at Te Aroha with a nominal capital of £75,000,-but so many free ! shares were distributed that the money available was only £382. The Ischeme collapsed. Later two mining engineers did a j certain amount' of work on the site j and had an offer from Swansea to take not less than 2000 tons of ore a year at £8 a ton. The offer was not .fulfilled. I Objection Met

Mr B. J. Dunsheath, of Auckland became interested in the area a year ago. He proposed to open up the seam, but met objections from 14 separate public bodies and Government departments. “These objections have now been overcome and the Minister of Mines (Mr McLagan) has granted a 42year lease of the area,” he said. The whole site, between 200 and 300 acres, was now completely protected by leases and licences. “Our intention, based on the recommendations of leading outside mining engineers, is to examine the area thoroughly, drive, in tunnels, put in diamond drills, and obtain cores for analysis. In this way, it is intended to find the strike and dip of the lodes, the extent at depth, and the quality of the ore,” he said. It was not intended to put any objectionable treatment plant near Te Aroha, but at this stage simply to test the ground preparatory to forming a big company, with adequate capital, to open up the area. This would be done according to the findings of the present company. An oredressing plant would then be installed and modern selective flotation methods used. Lack Of Foresight “Considering that New Zealand has to import all its lead, zinc, and copper, it is surprising that nobody of recent years has had the foresight to make a major trial and find the value of the deposits in the district,” said Mr Dunsheath. After present investigations, it might be found there was a different proportion of lead, zinc, and copper compared with what was known today. These base metals were wanted primarily but the gold and silver automatically extracted might be almost as valuable. Mr Dunsheath pointed out that New Zealand would have to import all its silver once the Waihi mine closed down. If successful the Te Aroha project could replace Waihi in this respect, absorbing men from the mine at the same time. “We do not know what other minerals and elements might be found in the initial opening-up work, but the company has the benefit of excellent technical advisers in Australia and the United Kingdom. These advisers will be supplemented soon,” he said.