SOUTH AFRICAN GOLD

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22099, 3 May 1935, Page 5

SOUTH AFRICAN GOLD

EXTENDING INDUSTRY'S LIFE GOVERNMENT'S POLICY DEFINED ! [FROM OUR own COKRIJSI'ONDENT] j CAPETOWN. March 8 | " Not to get as much money out of ; them as wo can, but to get au extended life and a large field of employment for the people." That, said Mr. Pat- . rick Duncan, Minister of Mines, is the j South African Government's policy re- j garding the gold mines. j By working the lower-grade ore, he said, the life of the industry had been immeasurably extended. .During although about 13,000,000 tons ot ore more than in the previous year were milled, the gold output won Jess than the previous year by 500,000 ounces. That meant that, notwithstanding increased employment, the life ot the industry had been correspondingly prololßetdwcen the end of 1932 and 1934 the number of Europeans employed on full pay on the Witwatersrand mines alone had increased by about GOOU. That was a far sounder policy to pursue —to encourage people to put capital into opening up new ground, and to encourage them to look forward to a longer life and take 011 a larger number of employees. . To-dav. properties wore being opened on the'Witwatersrand which, in the next few years, would be producing gold and 'would enormously increase the present output.