GOLD FROM FIJI MINE

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXV, Issue 57, 19 February 1935, Page 5

GOLD FROM FIJI MINE

Parcel on Way to Sydney 280 OUNCES IN FORTNIGHT (Received 19, 9.30 a.m.) SUVA, Feb. 10. Mr E. Theodore has left for Sydney He has the second parcel of gold from the Emperor mines at Tavua, believed t 0 be about 280 ounces, tho result of a fortnight's run following the first shipment of about 300 ounces. Mr Clive Joske, who is visiting the Emperor mine, reports that the tunnel in the hillside 150 feet below the crown has been driven a distance of 1000 feet The Emperor mine proprietors’ expenditure has been £7O 000.

ENCOURAGING TESTS Sir Charles Marr’s Visit (By Telegraph—Press Association.) AUCKLAND, Fob. 19. Preliminary testing of goldfields in Fiji belonging to the Mineral Development, Limited, and Tavua Gold Develop ment, Limited, has produced encouraging results, and soon 1000 men and a quarter of a million capital will bo employed in developing the mines. The managing director of the companies, Sir Charles Marr, who is returning to Syd ney by tho liner Niagara after a visit to the fields, said 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 depth that hud to bo worked. Already test shafts had been sunk to a depth of 100 ft., and metallurgists thought it probable the seams would run low’er to some 200 ft.

Tho gold produced was very similar to that found in the Coromandel Pen insula, containing a large proportion of silver. "There is no chance of a small company succeeding iu Fiji,” said Sir Charles. "Operations are necessarily very cosly, and thousands must b. spent before a return is shown. My two companies are prepared to sink over £200,000 in the venture, so confident ,>>•«• we of success. There are air-ady Icj men at work on the claims, and when 1 return to Sydney and arrange, for th. purchase of additional equipment more men will be taken on until we reach ou, full staff of about 1000 toward the cm. of next year. The mining engineer in charge of operations in Fiji i- Mr E < i Banks, formerly manager of the W- <Li mine.” Asked if he had any fears of g-9 depreciating in value, Sir Chai i- ‘-auj that lie thought rather that it v.'.ifi: rise. "I expect to see gold go to somewhere in the vicinity of £lO (Au Italian) to the ounce,” he declared. Sir Charles received his knightins in recognition of his work in organising the Duke of Gloucester's tour through out Australia. Although holding three portfolios in the Commonwealth Government lie 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 ami arranged details with the civic authorities of each town.