SEARCH FOR MINERALS

Grey River Argus, 11 September 1940, Page 2

SEARCH FOR MINERALS

IN NORTH AUSTRALIA. WELLINGTON, September 9. A vigorous search for minerals of war value, such as gold, copper, an timony, tin, mica, silver, lead and wolfram, is being conducted throughout the vast desert lands of Northern Australia. A report of the North Australian Survey, presented to the Commonwealth Parliament, and released in New Zealand to-day by the Australian Trade Commissioner (Mr C. E. CHtchley) says that manganese deposits in the foothills west of Cains in Queensland are being examined, and that gold, mica and rare minerals are being sought further south in the Potallah-AJice Creek district. Examination is also being made of copper deposits over an area of 300 •square miles in the Chillagoe (Queensland). In the Northern Territory wolfram is being sought. Aerial photographs and mosaics have been

taken and prepared of 15,000 miles of country and 1,500 geological maps covering the whole area have been prepared. In the year preceding the survey the value of gold produced in the Northern Territory was about £15,000. In 1937, due to the co-op-eration of the survey with the Mines,

’ Departments of the Territory and to : other fa'ctors, the value of gold produced in 1937 was nearly £200,000. The survey has drawn attention to 1 the possibility of the Granites area 1 being developed as a low grade min- , ing proposition, with possibilities of supporting a population of 4.000 1 or j 5,000 people.