GOLD PRODUCTION

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21319, 21 October 1932, Page 7

GOLD PRODUCTION

AUSTRALIAN REVIVAL RECENT LARGE INCREASE Australian gold production to the end of 1931 was valued at nearly £640,000,000, states the Age, Melbourne. That amount had been won since 1851, in which year the value produced was £1,348,000. In the following 12 months over £12,000,000 worth of gold was mined, but the best year wag .1903, when, owing principally to the activity on the Western Australian fields, the gold yield of the Commonwealth was valued at £16,302,000. From that year, however, the yield steadily diminished in quantity and in value. The £10,000,000 mark was last touched in 1910, and in recent years the industry reached a very low ebb. Interest in gold mining has been restimulated because of. the premium on gold and of the unemployment problem. In the last two years companies have been formed to work old leases or to exploit new ones, and with the assistance of unemployment relief funds many have taken up prospecting. The result has been that the drift in the gold mining industry has been checked, as revealed by the following figures:— Australian Production Value Fine oz. £ 1925 . , w . . 559,1 PS 2,375.280 19211 521,315 2.214.401 1927 508,291 2.159.07F, 1928 .. w. .. 457,069 1,944.054 1929 427,159 1,814,457 ]930 . . • 4fifi,579 2,099,005 1931 .. .. 591.742 4,137.0001 1932* 331,921 2,400,000* •Six months only, +Approximate. Owing lo flip fluctuating price of gold— j the Mint price is now about £7 is <1 fine , l ounce—fhe best basis of comparison is in regard lo I lie quantity of gold produced, j It will he seen from the foregoing table ' that in 1931 there was a substantial in- j crease in output, and for the first six | months of the present year the total was ; considerably more than half that for the 1 whole of 1931. The quantity produced last year was {he highest since 1924, when the • yield was 675.937 fine ounces. Ihe search for gold had proved useful and profitable in relieving unemployment. In Victoria since 1930 grants aggregating £26,041 have been made from the unemployment relief funds to 1799 parties, comprising 4544 miners. Some of the parties, however, received Several grants. From the same source sustenance amounting to £45,700 has been paid to prospectors, who have been provided with tools j valued at £BOOO and with railway tickets estimated at £2OOO. Perhaps the best idea of the increased activity in the mining sphere may be gathered from Treasury j figures, which showed that during the financial year 1931-32 about 25,000 miners . rights were issued in Victoria, compared with about 16,000 in 1926-7. THE MARKET BASKET ONIONS SLIGHTLY CHEAPER NEW POTATOES MORE PLENTIFUL Fluctuations in the retail prices of some fruit and vegetables have occurred in the past week. Value? for all other foodstuffs ; are practically unchanged. Citrus fruit are in slightly shorter j supply, lemons particularly having ad variced a little in price. Island mangoes and Sydney loquats are now obtainable. ' New potatoes are again more plentiful, . rates having eased Id a lb. to 2d to 3d. Canadian onions also have receded slightly and are now selling at 3d to 4d a lb. On the other hand, pumpkins, cauliflower, radish and beetroot are all a little dearer. l Prices are:— FRUIT Apples, Delicious and Stunners. 4d a lb; Grannie Smith, sdj Munroes, 4d; pears, Xelis and Winter Cole. 4d; tomatoes, hothouse, Is to Is Gd; Cook Island. 8d to lOd; tree tomatoes, 6d; grapes, Califorman, Malaga, white, Is 3d to Is 4d; red, Tokay. Is: Emperors, Is 3d; oranges. Island, five to seven for Is; Australian, Valencia, six to 12; mandarins, 12 to 20; lemons, local. 12 to 18; bananas. 3d to 4d a lb: passion fruit, Is 3d to Is 9d a dozen; grape fruit, local. fid to 2s; Californian, 5d to fid each: pineapples, Queensland, Is to Is 6d; mangoes, Island, 5d to fid; loquats, Sydney, od to 6d a lb. VEGETABLES Potatoes. Southern. 9lb for Is;.new. 2d to 3d a lb; kumaras, Island. 2d; onions. Canadian, 3d to 4d: swedes. Id: pumpkins, 3d; cucumbers, hothouse, 8d to lOd each; outdoor, 5d to 8d; celery, 2d to 4d a head; rhubarb. 4d to 7d a bunch; asparagus, local. 6d to lOd a bunch; Tauranga. 8d to Is: beans; Sydney, 7d to 9d; broad beans. 4d to fid: Sydney marrows, 8d fo lOd each: peas', Sydney. 4d to 6d' a lb; local, fid to 8d; cabbage, 2d to 5d each; cauliflower. 4d to Is: lettuce, 2d to 4d: carrot, parsnip, turnip. Id a bunch: radish, beetroot, ljd; leeks, 2d; spring onions, spinach, ljd. MEAT • Beef.—Rump steak. lOd 'a lb: undercut. Is Id; all beef steaks, skirt steak, sd; sirloin, 7d: sirloin (rolled), lOd; prime ribs, sd; prime ribs (boned and rolled), 7d: wing ribs (three chine bones), Gd: topside (41b and over), thick flank, bolars, 4|d; double top rib. sd; chuek rib. 3d; rolled back rib. fid; corned round, fijd; corned brisket (boned), 4}d; brisket and flat. rib. 3d; thin flank. 2d; gravy beef or shin meat, 3d: minced beef, 4d; tripe, 6d; dripping, sd: suet, 4d; sausage, sd: sausage meat. 4d; whole shins or legs. Id: half-shins or legs (thick en<JJ. 2d; half-shins or legs (knuckle end). Id: ox kidneys. Is; ox tongues. 7d: ox tails, fid; whole loins, fid; whole rump. Bd. , Mutton.—Whole leg, fid a lb; leg. shank end (filb and under). 7d: hindqnarter. 5Jd: forequarter. 4d: necks. 4}d: loin, fid; neck and breast. 8d ; leg and loin chops. 7d: neck chips, sd; flaps. 2d; cutlets, trimmed, lOd; side. 3{d: kidneys, tongues. 2d each; sheep's brains, 3d. . Spring Lamb. —Leg. If Id n lb; loin, Is; hindquarter. Is: forequarter. lOd. , Veal.—Fillets, 7d a lb; loin. sd: shoulder. 4d; cutlets arid veal steaks. 8d; chops, fid; forequarter, 3d: rolled veal, 6d. Pork.—Leg. loin, 7d a lb: foreloin, with blade, sd; pork chops. 8d: corned hand, sd; corned belly, Pd; pork sausages. 7d. These are cash prices at. the shops, booking and delivery being a penny a pound extra. FISH Schnappei, whole. 4id a lb; trimmed. sd; smoked, Pd; skinned fillets, 8d; terakihi, whole. sd: smoked, 7d: kippered fillets, lid; frevalli, whole. 2d: smoked, fid; John Dor.v, whole, Pd: fillets, I Id; mullet, whole, fid: smoked, Pd: flounder, fid: dabs, 7d: lemon fish fillets. 4d; silver strip, smoked. Gd: liapuku steaks. Pd ; wings, smoked, fid: moki steaks, sd; smoked steaks, 7d: cod, smoked, Is; gurnard, whole, 3d: barracouta, whole. sd: smoked. 6d; frostfish, whole, 4d: hake, whole, fid: kippers, Scotch. Is: crayfish, fid a lb; mussels, fresh. Is fid a do7en: pickled. Is Gd a bottle: rabbits, fid each; hares. Is fid each: mutton birds, 1s; cod, fillets, Scotch. Is fid a lb. findon haddocks, Is 3d; oysters, Is 3d, Is fid and 2s a. bottle; whitebait, 2s 9d a lb, or 5d a glass. BACON AND HAMS Bacon.—-Shoulder rashers, 9d a lb; best rib rashers, Is; by pieces, shoulder cuts, 6Jd to lOd. , „ Hum.—Whole, Is a lb: in rashers. Is 4d: cooked, pressed. Is 7d: rolled. Is lOd: shoulders, Is 3d. BUTTER AND CHEESE Buffer.—Factory, first grade, Is 3d a lb; second grade, Is 2d; bulk, farmers' butter, lid. , , , Cheese.— Ordinary. 9d; more matured, is 3d. EGOS Eggs.—Duck, lid a dozen; hen. Ild. AUSTRALIAN PRODUCE (Received October 20, 7.45 p.m.) SYDNEY, Oct, 20 Following are to day's quotations on the Sydney produce market: —Wheat: Steady tone, but business is restricted. Old silo wheat is valued at about 3s l^d; country lots, 2s ixl for bagged and 2s 4rl for bulked, equal to about 3s ex trucks Sydney. Flour, £lO. Bran and pollard. £5 10s. Potatoes-. Tasmatiian. £7: Victorian, £5. Onions: American, £34. Maize: bellow, 5s 4d; white, 5s 2d. . t Adelaide prices are:—Wheat: Growers, lots, 2s lUd. Flour: Bakers' lots, £8 ss. Pollard: £5 15s. Bran: £5 ss. Oats: Is 8d to Is 9di '