GOLD IN BORNEO

Grey River Argus, 21 March 1934, Page 3

GOLD IN BORNEO

gold hearing deposits in Dutch West Borneo was revealed by Mr. K. L. Walter at the annual meeting of Orimo Explorations, Ltd. The deposits said Mr. Walter had been known and work ed for hundreds of years. Very early reference to that part of West Borneo in which was situated the Melawi River, and known as the “Chinese Districts. ’’ were to be found in Chinese writings. In the year 977, and again in 1406. if had been recorded that ambassadors had been sent on ceremonial visits to the Emperor of China, and on the last occasion they had presented the then Emperor with an elaborate cost of woven gold wire, which was possibly the specimen now preserved in the Peking Museum. “The news of the richness of (he gold field spread,’’ Mr. Walter went on. “The Malay overlords were oppressive in their demands for tribute, but were eventually overthrown. Fidlowing a long period of prosperity, the ‘ fields ’ reached their highest level of production when, in 182.1, according to Mr J. 11. Tobias, lhe gold exported gave a value of SO,(Hit),ooo guilders, equal to about £6,666,700. Tt is reasonable to assume that about that period 1.000,000 ounces of go hl dust was being produced each year in the Chinese Districts, and the Chinese popula-| tion mining these fields was estimated! to be about 50,000, though no actual records are available/’ Tt was in ISIS that the connfry had come under the control of the Netherlands Government, but it was not until 1554 that the Chinese had been subjugated. They again, however, had gradually become wealthy, but resented the Dutch inle. A second rebellion which had broken out in 1880 had lasted until 1885, and by that time practically all the Chinese had either been killed or driven out of the eounSome desultory efforts had been made to obtain gold by poorly equipped companies and others with varying success. The general dislocation brought about by the Groat War had stopped all mining activities, and, except for some gold washing by the natives, the fields were now' deserted.