MINERAL TREASURE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21454, 30 March 1933, Page 5

MINERAL TREASURE

SEARCH IN ETHIOPIA AUSTRALIANS IN PARTY In consequence of an unusual sequence of events two Australian mining engineers aro members to-day of a party in search of mineral treasure in a region of Ethiopia, now kown" as Abyssinia, made legendary by the romantic figure of Maqueda, Queen of Sheba. One of them, a Victorian, is Mr. K. Corney, a son of Mr. and Mrs. C. E. Corney, of East Kew, who received his early training at the Bairnsdale School of Mines. Hunting in a tract of Abyssinia traditionally associated with tlio source of the Queen of Sheba's wealth two years ago, Mr. Frank Hayter, a big-game hunter, found rich deposits of platinum ore and alluvial gold. The necessity for adequate equipment led him to return to England, taking with him some rich samples. A South African business man, becoming acquainted with Hayter's discovery, undertook to finance an expedition. On leave in England at this time, Mr. Corney, who is employed by a large tin mining company in Nigeriii, gladly accepted an invitation to join a partv of four white men on the expedition. The chief mining engineer is Mr. F. L. Thomas, who also is an Australian. The party left England early in December. The caravan, Mr. Corney will consist of about 60 or 70 mules, with a headman and native assistants. He adds: "We are taking a native guard of 10 rifles, provided by the authorities, which, with our own, should be sufficient to keep away stray bands of bandits should they become too inquisitive." To reach its destination, he explains, the caravan will be travelling for about a month westerly from Addis Ababa, the capital of Abyssinia. In places it will bo traversing mountain country in which peaks rise from a plateau to total heights of about 12,000 ft. Tho party is not expected to return to the comparative civilisation of Addis Ababa until May or June.