MINING OPERATIONS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 91, 15 March 1935, Page 7

MINING OPERATIONS.

IN NORTHERN TERRITORY. IRREGULARITIES ALLEGED. CANBERRA, March 14. In the House of Representatives today, Mr Blain. the new member for the Northern Territory, directed the Government’s attention to methods employed by certain mining syndicates operating in the Northern Territory, describing the whole business as an “unsavoury scandal.” He particularly referred to the Arnheim Land Company, whose reports were allegedly misleading and incorrect, also to the activities of C. 11. Chapman of Granite Goldfields, who, he alleged, was a “professional claim jumper.” Mr Blain declared that such rascality was going on among some of the leaseholders that it would nor surprise him if it led to violence. There were also grave suspicions of “salting” on some of the leases. Two persons closely associated with the Arnheim Company had hitherto been associated with political scandals in Sydney. The Government, having granted leases in the first place, should now institute an immeidate inquiry into the whole of the gold-mining operations in’ the territory, for nobody was making anything out of mining there except “go-getters” and the Sydney Stock Exchange, which appeared to have no morals where commission was concerned.

Mr J. Paterson (Minister for the Interior), replying, said that the Government was not going to be stampeded into action on the mere allegation of one member. Nevertheless, he would do everything possible to protect the investing public. He promised to make a statement tomorrow.