SOUTH AFRICA'S GOLD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20386, 15 October 1929, Page 11

SOUTH AFRICA'S GOLD.

RICHES STILL TO BE WON. OTHER MINERAL RESOURCES. [from our own correspondent.] JOHANNESBURG, Sept. 6. According to Dr. Hans Pirow, Government mining engineer, there is still a thousand million pounds' worth of gold in the Union of South Africa. In (he course of his presidential address to the Chemical, Metallurgical and Mining Society in Johannesburg. Dr. Pirow, after quoting statistics of the Union's mineral production find the large proportion of the wealth so produced which remained in the country, said"lq the face of past and present achievements in the mineral industry it is often asserted that our mineral resources are but waning assets. Theoretically that is true, but there are numerous examples in the history of mining to show that mineral deposits originally considered of small magnitude have been worked for many centuries. As to our resources in diamonds, coal, platinum, asbestos, chrome and manganese, to mention but a few, a similar experience can confidently be expected." After referring in detail to certain of tho resources, Dr. Pirow added: "There is little reason to doubt that another £1,000,000,000 worth of gold will be won from our present gold deposits. In this land of surprises wo aro so accustomed to bounteous mineral gifts thaj> many of us believe that, in addition to the known deposits, further payable auriferous ore bodies will yet be discovered and worked. Regarding our diamond deposits we are assured cf sufficient resources to maintain tho present output for very many years to come, while as to tho future of coal mining there are even more optimistic estimates. *

"Dr. Lategan, official coal grader, calculates that our estimated coal tonnage of 250,000,000,000 would, if it could all be converted into oil, represent a potential value of approximately £500,000,000,000, and evea if the total tonnage were burned in its raw state, it could be still valued at £50,000,000,000. Whether tho production of fuel oil frOm coal proves to be a commercial success or not—and I for one am exceedingly optimistic about it—we may with confidence look to a considerable expansion in the coal-mining industry." During the last 50 years, Dr. Pirow added, scarcely a decade had passed without some new and valuable discoveries being mado, and there was no reason to believe that further discoveries of ore deposits would ceaso abruptly, tho more so as the Union appeared to bo on the eve of an era of scientific prospecting. Moreover, it was certain that South Africa had hardly touched its known deposits, except gold and diamonds. It must now moro actively consider what steps should bo taken to ensure its futuro development. , .