GERMAN MINING SYNDICATE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3769, 8 June 1926, Page 26

GERMAN MINING SYNDICATE.

THE CHRISTCHURCH OBJECTION. THAMES, June 4. Exception, not unmixed with resentment, is taken by the promoters of the German syndicate to mine refractory ores near Thames at the attitude of the executive of the Canterbury Industrial Association, which recently put forward the following resolution, but which, however, was held over in the meantime: That in view of a report recently circulated that a foreign syndicate has obtained an option to work certain lands in New Zealand for the extraction of mineral deposits, this executive of the Canterbury Industrial Association urges the Government to prohibit any operations covering the export of crude minerals to be refined in the countries outside the British Empire. Mr T. W. Jenkin, in seconding the motion, said it was well known that minerals were in the area concerned and in his opinion it was desirable that they should be worked by British labour and capital. If the Germans came to work the deposits it would mean that there would be German capital, German labour, and German machinery used. Everything would come from the “Fatherland,” and that was not wanted. Interviewed this morning, the agent for the German syndicate said the statements published reflected unfairly on his country and principals, and did not accurately set out the position. Following on the war, he said, the entrance of Germany into the wool-buying market was directly responsible for the very satisfactory prices paid to New Zealand sheep farmers for all grades of wool No objection had then been ouered by the farmers—and none was likely—to selling wool to Germany at highly remunerative rates. Furthermore, it was a fact that Germany had been a heavy buyer of by-products from New Zealand in the last few years. Included in the list were articles which the average farmer hal no use for, and for which there was no market in New Zealand. He instanced cow horns as an example. On the average farm or station the horns of dead cattle were either left lying about or thrown into a heap in some out-of-the-way corner, where they might or might not be used for manuring purposes. A market had now been found in Germany, and already some hundreds of tons of horns, feet, hoofs, etc., had been paid for by Germany at a price satisfactory to the seller. The ores referred to had lain untouched in the Thames Hills for years, and nobody had wanted them, though their presence was known to every miner and company promoter in the province. Germany was the only country that could use the ores on a basis satisfactory to New Zealand. As no other country had any use for the minerals, as encased in the rock, she should at least be permitted to offer a price for them. There was not and never had been the slightest intention to employ German labour. No fewer than 100 men would be employed at the outset, and of this number only two, and certainly not more than three, would be Germans, these being the technical experts already appointed. The labour would be recruited from any source available, though preference would probably be given to resident* of the goldfields district. In any case, there would be no restrictions. The project had aroused great interest, and applications for employment had been received from as far afield as Shanghai.