THAMES INDUSTRIES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20595, 20 June 1930, Page 13

THAMES INDUSTRIES.

HOPES OF REVIVAL*

MINING AND ENGINEERING.

DEVELOPMENTS ANTICIPATED.

[BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] THAMES, Thursday.

Prospects of a revival in the three chief industries of the once-famous goldmining town of Thames, mining, engineering and fishing, are brighter at present than they have been for a considerable time and faith in the future of the town may soon be justified.

The hills round Thames and the Coromandel ranges contain huge quantities of low grade ores. It is stated that negotiations aro being completed for the treatment in Australia on a largo scale of lead, zinc and other sulphide ores from the peninsula mountains. A company which erected a ten-stamp battery and tube mill at W«iomio for this work this month acquired an extensive piece of ground adjoining its present holding, believed to be rich in mineral values. This has been done with the object of mining refractory ores on a scale not hitherto attempted locally. Discussing the prospects of this industry to-day a mining engineer with an Australian and New Zealand reputation said complete success would not be achieved in the mining of low grade ores at Thames until the hundred and one owners of Thames quartz claims pooled their interests and erected a plant capable of sending a ship once a week to Australia full of tho right kind of ore. Present holders of claims had not the money to dig deep for more gold in the Thames hills. In Australia low grade ores could be properly and cheaply treated. The Trade in Fish. fishing industry, once worth many thousand pounds a year to Thames, has declined in recent years because of difficulties occasioned by the law of supply and demand. When launches laden with schnapper and flounder have arrived at the wharves the wholesale merchants, unable to market such a porishable product more than 24 hours ahead, have frequently been able to buy only about half the catch. Although a percentage of catches is always held for freezing purposes, it is no exaggeration to say that hundreds of pounds worth of fish are annually thrown back into the sea owing to the restricted market available. However, the invention of a new freezing process promises to exploit an entirely new field in the marketing of fish. Those interested in the new process have acquired a site at Thames for the housing of plant and have been guaranteed a weekly supply of 20 tons of fish a week by local wholesale dealers. This means, in effect, that fish previously jettisoned as unsaleable will now be sent to the new works in practically unlimited quantities. The Engineering Works,

Keener interest locally, however, centres in the prospect of the employment of a large number of men iu tho Thames engineering works which recently secured the Australian and New Zealand rights for the manufacture of a new typo of steam-driven conveyance. A passenger bus is now being made for the Auckland Transport Board, whose manager, Mr. A. E. Ford, recently said this typo of passenger bus had great possibilities. Since 4he decline of the goldmining industry Thames has been supported by the success of its local ironworks firm in securing contracts to build locomotives for the New Zealand Government. The discontinuance of this work in 1923 occasioned the dismissal of over 100 expert iron workers. It is understood many of these men aro now being called back to Thames in anticipation of employment. Discussing the outlook to-day, Mr. W. Bongard, Mayor of Thames, said: — "Thames really has of lato been suffering from an overdose of pessimism. We are now on the eve of exploiting three industries. Thames once helped to build Auckland. I believe the old town has turned tho corner and will again, in view of recent developments, command the respect of the peoplo of tho province."