MALAYAN TIN MINES

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18064, 15 April 1933, Page 6

MALAYAN TIN MINES

RESTRICTION OF OUTPUT Nil J ZEALANDER DESCRIBES I WORK Up to the present the efforts which have been maue by owners of tin mines to restrict the world’s output of tin in order to force up the existing low price have not been very successful, said Mr. E. M. S. Knewstuob, who has arrived in Wellington. Mr. Knewstubb, a New Zealander by birth, is manager of a mine in tho Malayan Peninsula, the most important tin-producing country in the world. Ho intends to spend tho greater part of his six months’ leave in his native town, Port Chalmers. The owners of the world’s largest tin mines, Mr. Kuewstubb said, had some lime ago entered into an international agreement to restrict all output to 25 per cent, of the normal capacity. The result of this restriction was shown in a certain district in Malaya. In a valley where there were previously about 50 dredges working, fewer than 10 were now working. lau'ge quantities of tin were still in the ground, but few companies could make it pay. The expected great increase in the price of the commodity had not occurred. The mine of which Mr. Kuewstubb is manager is near a small town, Batu Gajali, about 400 miles north of Singapore The company works ICOO acres of swampy tropical jungle by dredging and sluicing, with digging mostly impossible. Tile routine of work was seldom interrupted by any exciting or dangerous happening in spite of the fact that the surrounding jungle was populated with natives and wild animals. Mr. Knewstubb never thought it necessary to carry a rifle. The only really dangerous places, lie said, were in the nearby hills. Occasionally there was trouble with the Chinese.

The disease-laden heat of the swampy jungle in which he worked took heavy toll of everyone, including even the heathardened coolies, said Mr. Knetvstubb. Vigorous efforts had been made to stamp out malaria, but little could be done in distrif ts where tin-dredges were continually stirring up the stagnant swamps, which were breeding places for the malaria-carrying mosquito*