SILVER-LEAD HELDS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19500, 8 June 1925, Page 11

SILVER-LEAD HELDS.

WEALTH OF BROKEN HILL. PROSPECT OF MOUNT ISA. HUGE ORE RESERVES. (Esou Oua Own COEEESPONDENT.) SYDNEY, May 21. Although it is over 30 years since the great silver-lead mining fields were first exploited at Broken Hill, in the far west of New South Wales, and although millions of tons of ore have been extracted in that time, the future of the region as a mining centre is still bright. Probably no other region in the world of the same size has contributed such enormous wealth as this. Fortunes were built on an original outlay of a few pounds. Romance after romance could be written about the men who pioneered the field the field and money abstracted from it. The New South Wales Oovrnmcnt Geologist (Mr E. C. Andrews! recently visited Broken Hill, and as a result has compiled a glowing report upon the future of the field. During the period between J. 910 and 1913, anxiety was felt respecting the' depletion of ore reserves, but since the former year between 15 and 16 million tons of ore have been mined. Yet Mr Andrews now estimates that the reserves are greater to-day than ever before in the history of the field. He places these reserves at over 13,000,000 tons, to which may be added approximately 7,000,000 tons, which there is a high probability of mining. An ided of the wealth of the Broken Hill mines is gained from the official figures of the Mines Department. To the end of 1924 the value of the output from the opening of the field is £120,810,033, and dividends and bonuses totalling £28,085,574 have been paid by the various companies, of ■which the nominal capital is at present £7,823,000. Queenslanders are hoping that the Mount I*a field, in the middle of the State, wm be to Queensland what Broken Hill has been to New South Wales. Mount Isa was discovered within the last year or two, aud work there is still more or less in the development stage. As usual, with nil newly-discovered mining fields there have been reports and counter reports as to the value of the area. From the conflict of opinion, however, there emerges a certainty that, if Mount Isa will not be <i second Broken Hill, it at least will return some rich dividends at some time in the future. One of the main drawbacks to exploitation of the field has been its inaccessibility. The Public Works Commission of Queensland is now taking evidence as to the advisability of linking up with it by railway. It was before this body that the most definite evidence relating to the field’s possibilities was given. The witness was Mr B. Dunstan, Chief Government Geologist in the northern State, who said he estimated that the total ore reserves in the four areas comprising the field amounted to 4,236,000 tons, which, at a very low estimate, would be worth at least £16,000,000. He also stated that there was a great probability that the continuation of the ore deposits would be greater than the present observations, and that the field would probably “last for centuries.” Assays of the ore ranged from 9.3 per ceut. to 25 per cent, of lead and from 4oz to 12oz of silver per ton.