The Mining Magazine
M an, D ire cto r a n d E d ito r : W . F . W h i t e . A ssista n ts : S t. J. R . C. S h e p h e r d , A .R .S .M ., D .I .C ., F .G .S . ; F. H i g h a m , A .R .S .M ., M .S c., F .G .S .
Pu b l i s h e d o n t h e 1 5 t h o f e a c h m o n t h b y Mi n i n g Pu b l i c a t i o n s, Li m i t e d, a t S a l i s b u r y H o u s e , L o n d o n ,
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2.
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Vol. XLVII . No. 1, L O N D O N , JULY, 1932.
ON E SHILLINGPRICEC O N T E N T S
r ™
■ E D IT O R IA L
Notes ... 2
New Colliery E ngineering D ep artm en t a t Sheffield University ; S eventy-Five Years of Scientific Progress; A ir T ra n sp o rt of D red g es; D ea th of Professor G regory ; Courses in Business M anage ment ; L ectures on T ropical H ygiene ; A B ritish Copper Refinery ; A New Oil and Coal Fuel.
Rand Low G rade Ore Commission 3
The findings of th e Commission are briefly exam ined.The Royal School of Mines D in n e r .. 4
Proceedings at this annual function are reviewed.
The Geological Survey’s New H ead quarters ... 5
A description of th e plans fo r equipping th e new building now approaching com pletion in S outh Kensington. Re v ie w o f Mi n i n g... 6
Ar t ic l e s
Lake View and S tar Gold Mines Ralph A . Anderson
A description of th e procedure ad o p ted on these properties w ith th e object of increasing production and m odernizing w orking m ethods.The Design of R o ta ry Screens H . G. Sm ith 20
The author review s th e m eans w hereby th e risks involved in the design of ro ta tin g screens m ay be minim ized.Diamond D rilling Costs and Practice G. Chester M aster 23
The results of w ork carried o u t a t th e S ta r Mine, Northern Rhodesia.The I.M.M. Benevolent F u n d 29
F ifth L ist o f S u b scrip tio n s. Bo o k Re v ie w s W atermeyer and H o ffen b erg’s " W itw a ter s- rand Mining P r a c tic e ” . . B . W . H olm an 29 " Aus der G esch ichte d es ö sterreich isch en Eisenwesens ” an d “ B e itra g e zur Geschichte d es ö sterreich isch en E ise n wesens ” ... D r. H en ry L o u is 29 Kraus and H o ld e n ’s “ G em s and G em Minerals ” ...D r. W . R . Jon es 30 Ne w s Le t t e r s V a n c o u v e r... 30
Pioneer Gold ; P io n eer E xtension ; Bridge R iv er ; Non-Metallic M ineral Resources ; W hitew ater D is tric t; A tlin Lake ; Nelson, Y m ir, and Sheep C re e k ; K am lo o p s; Oil in th e Okanagan V alley ; Boundary.
Toronto ... 33
P o rc u p in e ; K irkland L a k e ; O ther O ntario Gold M in e s ; S u d b u ry ; R ouyn and N orth-W estern Quebec ; Manitoba.
1—2
J o h a n n e s b u r g ...35
S abie D is tr ic t; Swaziland ; S im m er and J a c k ; G eological Survey. I p o h ...
36
T in Sales an d R estriction ; L a b o u r ; D ecentralization. K a l g o o r l i e ...
37
W iluna D evelopm ents ; Lake View and S ta r ; B oulder Perseverance ; D evelopm ents a t O th er P ro p e rtie s ; Less-K nown Fields ; Prospecting. B r is b a n e ...
38
M ount Isa ; M ount Isa Coke ; M ount W andoo Mine ; Cloncurry C opper M ining ; M ount M organ. P e r s o n a l ...
40
T r a d e P a r a g r a p h s ...
40
N e w A ir-C om pressor for D a g g a fo n te in M ines ... 41
R u sto n -B u c y r u s W ard -L eon ard E lec tric S h o v el E q u ip m e n t ... 42
M e t a l M a r k e t s ...
43
9 St a t i s t i c s o f Pr o d u c t i o n ... 4 5 P r i c e s o f C h e m i c a l s ...
47
S h a r e Q u o t a t i o n s ...
48
Mi n i n g Di g e s t T h e O buasi G oldfield, G old C oast C olon y N . R . J u n n e r 49 W ester n A u stra lia n M etallu rgy B . H . M oore 52 R efra cto ry C e m e n t s ... W . R . K e r r 55 D u ra lu m in S k ip s ... W. H . M itch ell 57 M olyb d en u m ... A . V. P e ta r 59 S a lts in M ill W aters A . B . C am pbell, W . H owes, an d W. H . Ode 59 M ou n t H o p e, N e w Jersey . . J . R . Sw eet 60 D r ift M i n i n g ... D . Steffa 60 C o n cen tra tin g S c h eelite Ore W . O. Vanderburg 60 M illing M o ly b d en ite Ore . . J . B . C arm an 60 S h o r t N o t i c e s ] ...
61
R e c e n t P a t e n t s P u b l i s h e d ...
61
N e w B o o k s , P a m p h l e t s , e t c ...
62
C o m p a n y R e p o r t s ...
62
B angrin T in ; B isichi T i n ; B ritish -B o m eo P e tro le u m ; E speranza C opper an d S u lp h u r ; G eevor T in ; In d ia n C opper ; K agera (Uganda) Tinfields ; L a h a t M ines ; N ara g u ta E x ten d ed A r e a s ; O riental C o n so lid a te d ; Siam ese T i n ; S o u th B ukeru A reas ; S o u th C rofty ; S ou th ern T ro n o h ; Sungei B e s i; Talerng T i n ; T ran sv aa l Gold M ining E s ta te s ; T ro n o h M in e s ; Zinc C orporation. D i v i d e n d s D e c l a r e d ...
64
N e w C o m p a n i e s R e g i s t e r e d ...
64
S T IL L an o th er centre for instruction in colliery engineering in th is c o u n try has reached th e stage of being fully equipped Mr. W. B enton Jones, chairm an of th e
South Y orkshire Coal T rade Association, having opened on Ju n e 14 new coal m ining and tre a tm e n t laboratories a t Sheffield U niversity.
T H E seventy-fifth anniversary of th e South K ensington Museum is being celebrated by a display in th e Science M useum of technical ap p a ra tu s designed to illu stra te th e progress of science in the interval. Since th e group of m useum s here were in itia te d it is estim ated th a t th ey have been visited by no fewer th a n 78 million people, tw o million visits annually being now recorded.
A T a special m eeting of th e In stitu tio n , to be held on W ednesday, J u ly 20, a t 5.30 p.m ., in th e lecture th e a tre of th e In stitu tio n of E lectrical Engineers, Savoy Place, V ictoria E m b an k m en t, Mr. Charles A.
B anks, who has recen tly a rriv ed from New Guinea, will presen t a pap er on th e “ Air- T ra n sp o rta tio n of Gold D redges in New G uinea.” The pap er will be illu stra ted by a cinem atograph him .
E L S E W H E R E in th is issue we have recorded th e d e a th of Professor J . W.
Gregory, perh ap s th e m ost p rom inent and w idely-know n of B ritish geologists. A m an w ith a v e ry wide range of knowledge, P ro fessor Gregory has left his m ark as a teacher, traveller, and philosopher, his views on ore- deposition and his experience as a m ining geologist having created m any friends for him am ong m em bers of th e profession.
M IN IN G m en who feel th e need for acquiring knowledge of business affairs, office m anagem ent, a n d sim ilar m a tte rs will be in terested in th e courses of in stru ctio n w hich are available a t the London School of Economics. C andidates m u st be eith e r U niversity g raduates or proved to be sufficiently well ed u cated to benefit b y th e training offered— an im p o rtan t provision, ensuring th a t th e teaching will n o t be of too elem en tary a character.
A COURSE dem onstrations on tropical hygiene of seven lectures and will be given in Septem ber a t th e room s of th e B ritish R ed Cross Society, Chesham Street. T he lectures will be given on M ondays, W ednesdays, and Fridays, com
m encing on Monday, Septem ber 26, a t 5.30 p.m ., and th ey are open to n on
m em bers of th e society, th e fee for th e course being 5s. for m em bers and 7s. 6d. for non
m em bers. The exam ination for th e B ritish R ed Cross Society’s certificate in tropical hygiene will be held on O ctober 14.
A C O P P E R refinery in th is co u n try to deal w ith th e produce of N o rth ern R hodesia was foreshadow ed in th e
M a g a z i n en early tw o years ago an d it is, therefore, satisfacto ry to record th a t th is project has ta k e n definite shape. T he proposed refinery is to be constructed a t Prescot, in Lancashire, as th e outcom e of an arrangem ent effected betw een B ritish In su la te d Cables, who are am ong th e big consum ers of high-conductivity copper in th is country, and th e R oan A ntelope C opper Mines—"another exam ple of producer and consum er g ettin g together. I t should be added th a t a pilot p lan t has been in operation for some tim e an d plans are now com plete for th e production of wire bars, billets, cakes, an d slabs.
F ROM tim e to tim e a tte n tio n has been directed in th e
M a g a z i n eto questions pertain in g to fuel and power generation b o th from th e po in t of view of th eir bearing on raw m aterials supply an d d em an d an d from th a t of econom y in p la n t operation. The subject again comes to th e fro n t in connexion w ith a new fuel, experim ents w hich have recently been concluded showing it to possess gre at prom ise of fu tu re developm ent. T he fuel consists of an in tim a te m ix tu re of finely pow dered b itum inous coal an d fuel oil in th e proportion of 40% coal to 60% oil, w hich has been found to possess fluid properties enabling its use in o rd in ary oil burners such as are fast becom ing sta n d a rd practice for m arine an d o th e r boiler firing.
T he hom e coal in d u stry w ould be consider
ab ly assisted if th e wide adoption of th is
new fuel were recom m ended, especially if, as
has been suggested, m eans are found for
increasing th e proportion of solid c o n ten t
w ith o u t d e trim en tal increase in viscosity.
R and Low G rade Ore C o m m issio n In referring to th e expectation of life of th e W itw atersrand goldfield, we have in th e p a st h a d occasion to consider th e defini
tion of th e w ord “ ore.” U nder th e present conditions of adm inistration on th e R and w h at is unavoidably fixed as ore—th a t portion of th e m ineral deposit which can be m ined a t a profit—enables m ost of th e com panies operating to p ay dividends, in some cases of quite a su b stan tial character.
A superficial exam ination of th e facts has, therefore, called forth th e com m ent th a t as long as th e y can earn such profits the com panies concerned have really little to com plain about. F or a tru e estim ation of th e position, however, it is necessary to go deeper and to assume, as the companies claim, th a t it is n o t th e size of th eir profits ab o u t w hich th e y are concerned, b u t the life of the mines. In other words, it can be assum ed th a t if such legislation were enacted on the R and as w ould enable the mines to e x tra c t ore of lower grade the com
panies w ould be prepared to mine such ore and th ereb y give th eir properties a longer life. Such, a t an y rate, is the unanim ous opinion of th e Low Grade Ore Commission recently set up in South Africa, whose rep o rt has ju st reached this country.
In th e w ords of th e report, “ a reduction of 2s. per ton milled in w orking costs and yield will probably result in an increase of a t least 50% in th e fu tu re average life of th e W itw atersran d .” I t is obvious, therefore, th a t the commission considers it advisable th a t the m ines should be in a position to mine ore of lower grade and the raison d ’etre of th is im p o rta n t body appears to have been justified.
T he exam ination of th e v ast m ass of evidence presented to the commission has enabled it to prepare a num ber of recom m endations for th e consideration of the U nion G overnm ent, all of which m ay be regarded as being for th e assistance of the industry. I t is im p o rtan t to note here, too, th a t th e conclusion has been reached th a t th e mines are m anaged efficiently and th a t th e y cannot mine an y more unpayable ore th a n th e y a t present do w ithout some economic aid. T urning to the m ain findings of the commissioners, it is sta te d th a t after having heard a certain am ount of evidence th e y were so im pressed by th e necessity of securing a perm anently adequate supply of native labour for th e mines th a t they
th ereafter confined their a tte n tio n alm ost en tirely to th a t subject and were th u s enabled to issue an in terim rep o rt in March, 1931, dealing w ith th is m atter.
U nder certain conditions, it was suggested th a t perm ission be granted to recruit natives n o rth of latitu d e 22° south, while the opening of certain areas a t present closed to recruiting was also recom m ended. The purchase of coal and supplies, it is considered, are m anaged so efficiently as to preclude th e possibility of a n y savings in this direction which m ight help th e low-grade properties, although a revision of the term s of th e contract for th e supply of power by the V ictoria Falls com pany is suggested.
In regard to m iner’s phthisis com pensation, th e m ajo rity of the commissioners are of the opinion th a t it is u n ju st to expect the scheduled mines to shoulder th e phthisis paym ent of m ines no longer in existence and some S tate help in this m a tte r is recom
m ended. Certain suggestions p u t before the commission for th e reorganization of labour underground have been previously exam ined in these columns, particularly those p u t forw ard by Dr. Pirow, which aim a t lessening th e exposure of w hites to the conditions th a t produce phthisis. The commission agrees th a t the present position as regards th e imminence of phthisis cases is unsatisfactory, b u t the financial responsibility laid on the companies is considered too heavy, although it is recognized th a t th is responsibility is essential in order to bring about an im prove
m ent in working conditions. To th e casual observer it m ight appear th a t the substitution of n ative for w hite labour on certain under
ground operations was sim ply an evasion of responsibility, although th e commission is of the opinion th a t such a su b stitu tio n m ight be effected w ithout d etrim en t to the safety and h ealth of th e natives. The commission also has som ething to say on th e question of railw ay rates, w hich are considered in m any cases to be too high, and th e setting up of a new commission to exam ine th e whole railw ay policy of the Union is recom m ended.
In reviewing th e findings of the com
mission, it is evident som ething more will
be necessary to enable mines working at
a loss to be profitably operated. I t would
seem th a t such mines can only continue w ith
the help of a subsidy from th e G overnm ent,
either in cash or b y remission of tax atio n ,
or by a revision of wages. In this connexion,
S T IL L an o th er centre for instruction in colliery engineering in th is c o u n try has reached th e stage of being fully equipped Mr. W . B enton Jones, chairm an of th e South Y orkshire Coal T rade Association, having opened on Ju n e 14 new coal m ining and tre a tm e n t laboratories a t Sheffield U niversity.
T H E seventy-fifth an niversary of th e South K ensington Museum is being celebrated by a display in th e Science Museum of technical a p p a ra tu s designed to illu strate th e progress of science in th e interval. Since th e group of m useum s here were in itia te d it is estim ated th a t th e y have been visited by no fewer th a n 78 m illion people, tw o m illion visits annually being now recorded.
A T a special m eeting of th e In stitu tio n , to be held on W e d n e s d a y /J u ly 20, at 5.30 p.m ., in th e lectu re th e a tre of the In s titu tio n of E lectrical E ngineers, Savoy Place, V ictoria E m b an k m en t, Mr. Charles A.
B anks, who has recen tly arriv ed from New Guinea, will present a p ap e r on th e “ Air- T ra n sp o rta tio n of Gold D redges in New G uinea.” T he p a p er will be illu stra te d by a cinem atograph film.
E L S E W H E R E in th is issue we have recorded th e d e a th of Professor J. W.
Gregory, p erh ap s th e m ost p rom inent and widely-know n of B ritish geologists. A m an w ith a v ery wide range of knowledge, P ro fessor Gregory has left his m ark as a teacher, traveller, and philosopher, his views on ore- deposition an d his experience as a m ining geologist having created m a n y friends for him am ong m em bers of th e profession.
M IN IN G m en who feel th e need for acquiring knowledge of business affairs, office m anagem ent, and sim ilar m a tte rs will be in terested in th e courses of in stru ctio n w hich are available a t th e London School of Economics. C andidates m u st be eith er U niversity g raduates or proved to be sufficiently well e d u cated to benefit b y th e training offered— an im p o rtan t provision, ensuring, th a t th e teaching will n o t be of too e lem en tary a character.
A COURSE dem onstrations on tro p ical hygiene of seven lectures and will be given in Septem ber a t th e room s of th e B ritish R ed Cross Society, Chesham Street. The lectures will be given on Mondays, W ednesdays, and F rid ay s, com
m encing on Monday, Septem ber 26, a t 5.30 p.m ., and th e y are open to n on
m em bers of th e society, th e fee for th e course being 5s. for m em bers an d 7s. 6d. for non
m em bers. The exam ination for th e B ritish R ed Cross Society’s certificate in tropical hygiene will be held on O ctober 14.
A C O P P E R refinery in th is co u n try to deal w ith th e produce of N o rth ern R hodesia was foreshadow ed in th e
M a g a z i n enearly tw o years ago an d it is, therefore, satisfactory to record th a t th is p ro ject h as ta k e n definite shape. T he proposed refinery is to be co n stru cted a t P rescot, in Lancashire, as th e outcom e of an arran g em en t effected betw een B ritish In su lated Cables, who are am ong th e big consum ers of h ig h -co n d u ctiv ity copper in this country, a n d th e R oan A ntelope Copper Mines—'another exam ple of producer and consum er g ettin g together. I t should be ad d ed th a t a pilot p la n t has been in operation for some tim e an d plans are now com plete for th e production of wire bars, billets, cakes, an d slabs.
F ROM tim e to tim e a tte n tio n has been directed in th e
M a g a z i n eto questions p ertain in g to fuel an d pow er generation b o th from th e p o in t of view of th e ir bearing on raw m aterials supply an d d em an d an d from th a t of econom y in p la n t operation. The subject again comes to th e fro n t in connexion w ith a new fuel, ex p erim en ts w hich have recently been concluded showing it to possess g reat prom ise of fu tu re developm ent. The fuel consists of an in tim a te m ix tu re of finely pow dered b itum inous coal and fuel oil in th e pro p o rtio n of 40% coal to 60% oil, w hich has been found to possess fluid properties enabling its use in o rd in ary oil burners such as are fast becom ing sta n d a rd p ractice for m arine an d o th er boiler firing.
T he hom e coal in d u stry w ould be consider
ab ly assisted if th e wide adoption of th is new fuel were recom m ended, especially if, as has been suggested, m eans are found for increasing th e proportion of solid co n ten t w ith o u t d e trim en tal increase in viscosity.
2
R and Low G rade O re C o m m issio n In referring to th e expectation of life of th e W itw atersrand goldfield, we have in th e p a st h a d occasion to consider th e defini
tion of th e w ord “ ore.” U nder the present conditions of adm inistration on th e R and w h a t is u n avoidably fixed as ore— th a t portion of th e m ineral deposit which can be m ined a t a profit— enables m ost of the com panies operating to p ay dividends, in some cases of quite a su b stan tial character.
A superficial exam ination of th e facts has, therefore, called fo rth th e com m ent th a t as long as th e y can earn such profits the com panies concerned have really little to com plain about. F or a tru e estim ation of th e position, however, it is necessary to go deeper and to assum e, as th e companies claim, th a t it is n o t th e size of th eir profits ab o u t which th e y are concerned, b u t the life of the mines. In other words, it can be assum ed th a t if such legislation were enacted on the R an d as would enable the mines to e x tra c t ore of lower grade th e com
panies would be prepared to m ine such ore and th ereb y give th e ir properties a longer life. Such, a t an y rate, is the unanim ous opinion of th e Low Grade Ore Commission recently set up in South Africa, whose rep o rt has ju st reached this country.
In th e words of th e report, “ a reduction of 2s. per to n m illed in working costs and yield will probably result in an increase of a t least 50% in th e future average life of th e W itw a tersran d .” I t is obvious, therefore, th a t the commission considers it advisable th a t th e mines should be in a position to mine ore of lower grade and th e raison d ’etre of this im p o rta n t body appears to have been justified.
The exam ination of th e v ast m ass of evidence presented to the commission has enabled it to prepare a num ber of recom m endations for th e consideration of th e Union G overnm ent, all of which m ay be regarded as being for th e assistance of the industry. I t is im p o rtan t to note here, too, th a t th e conclusion has been reached th a t th e mines are m anaged efficiently and th a t th e y cannot mine an y more unpayable ore th a n th e y a t present do w ithout some economic aid. T urning to the m ain findings of the commissioners, it is sta te d th a t after having heard a certain am ount of evidence th e y were so im pressed by the necessity of securing a perm anently adequate supply of n ativ e labour for the mines th a t th e y
th ereafter confined th e ir atte n tio n alm ost entirely to th a t subject and were th u s enabled to issue an in terim rep o rt in M arch, 1931, dealing w ith th is m atter.
U nder certain conditions, it was suggested th a t permission be granted to recruit natives n o rth of la titu d e 22° south, while the opening of certain areas a t present closed to recruiting was also recom m ended. The purchase of coal and supplies, it is considered, are m anaged so efficiently as to preclude th e possibility of an y savings in this direction w hich m ight help the low-grade properties, although a revision of the term s of th e co n tract for th e supply of power by th e V ictoria Falls com pany is suggested.
In regard to m iner’s phthisis com pensation, th e m ajo rity of the commissioners are of th e opinion th a t it is u n ju st to expect the scheduled mines to shoulder th e phthisis p aym ent of m ines no longer in existence and some S ta te help in this m a tte r is recom m ended. Certain suggestions p u t before th e commission for th e reorganization of labour underground have been previously exam ined in these columns, particularly those p u t forw ard b y Dr. Pirow, which aim a t lessening the exposure of w hites to the conditions th a t produce phthisis. The commission agrees th a t the present position as regards the imminence of phthisis cases is unsatisfactory, b u t th e financial responsibility laid on th e companies is considered too heavy, although it is recognized th a t th is responsibility is essential in order to bring about an im prove
m ent in working conditions. To th e casual observer it m ight appear th a t th e substitution of native for w hite labour on certain under
ground operations was sim ply an evasion of responsibility, although th e commission is of the opinion th a t such a substitution m ight be effected w ithout d etrim en t to the safety and h ealth of th e natives. The commission also has som ething to say on the question of railw ay rates, which are considered in m any cases to be too high, and the setting up of a new commission to exam ine th e whole railw ay policy of the U nion is recom m ended.
In reviewing th e findings of the com
mission, it is evident som ething more will
be necessary to enable m ines w orking at
a loss to be profitably operated. I t would
seem th a t such mines can only continue w ith
th e help of a subsidy from the G overnm ent,
either in cash or b y remission of tax atio n ,
or by a revision of wages. In this connexion,
it is in terestin g to note a division of opinion on th e wages question in th e com m ission’s findings. C ertain m em bers were of th e opinion th a t th e present level of wages on th e R an d was too high, although it is difficult to follow th is view w here mines are operating a t su b stan tial profits. The all-round reduction of 10% suggested by some m em bers seems inequitable, although it m u st be recognized th a t m ines working a t a loss or ju s t m aking ends m eet m ight well be justified in lowering wages. A t an y ra te , th e Union G overnm ent, if it decides to ad o p t an y of the com m ission’s findings, an d so enable th e m ines to w ork low er-grade ore, m u st be prepared to sub
sidize th e in d u stry or to p erm it a revision of wages, alw ays providing, of course, th a t it does n o t find th e sim pler w ay to be th a t of allowing th e Union currency to follow sterling off th e gold stan d ard .
T he R oyal S ch o o l o f M ines D in n er The 55th annual dinner of th e R oyal School of Mines, u n d er th e auspices of the Old S tu d e n ts’ A ssociation took place on Ju n e 16, Mr. G. W. Gray, th is y e a r’s president, being in th e chair. I t was essentially a fam ily gathering, as on m an y previous occasions, an d am ong th e guests th e re were really no stran g e faces, w ith th e solitary exception of Mr. R oxburgh, th e H ead m aster of Stowe School, whose presence was especially welcome as continuing a practice of en tertain in g th e H ead of one or m ore of th e public schools. T he other guests, as has been indicated, require no introduction, including Mr. Chester B ea tty , Mr. Carl D avis, a n d Mr. Jam e s Kewley.
The ta sk of proposing th e to a st of the R oyal School of Mines fell to Mr. Kewley, th e president of th e In stitu tio n of P etroleum Technologists, who delivered ju s t th e kind of inspiring an d com plim entary speech th a t is expected on these occasions. A fter alluding to th e g rea t a n tiq u ity of the professions of m ining and m etallurgy, he w ent on to consider th e ir dig n ity and h a d occasion to refer to th e w ritings of Agricola. A fter-dinner speakers a t functions of th is ch a racter w ould seem to be sorely handicapped h ad th e y no De Re M etallica to tu rn to for inspiration, if n o t actual qu o tatio n . Mr. Kewley paid trib u te to th e early geological w orkers in th is country, whose activities led to the inception of th e R oyal School of Mines. R eferring
to th e period w hen petroleum technology was first ta u g h t there, he rem ark ed on the rem arkable grow th of th e in d u stry w ith w hich he is him self so closely associated.
R etu rn in g to th e safe h arb o u r of Agricola, he ex tra c te d m ore wisdom concerning th e personnel engaged in th e profession, and expressed reg ret a t th e absence of th e pioneering spirit in m an y of th e young m en of to-day, although he hoped th is w as n o t tru e of Mines m en. T he chairm an, in responding, th o u g h t th a t m ining m en as a whole were n o t unlike moles, who, accustom ed as th e y were to living u n d er
ground, were a p t, w hen th e y come to th e surface, to blin k an d behave ra th e r like fish out of w ater. To Professor T ru sco tt he paid a well-deserved trib u te , n o t only in his cap acity as h o n o rary secretary of th e association— as th e speaker rem arked, Professor T ru sco tt is th e association—
b u t also as th e teach er of m ining a t th e School. T his n a tu ra lly led to a eulogy of th e train in g th a t is afforded a n d an appreciation of th e high sta n d a rd to w hich th e Im perial College has a ttain e d . Mr. G ray rig h tly em phasized in th is connexion a q u a lity w hich he was pleased to call— as, indeed, it is com m only called— “ guts ” a n d he spoke w ith w arm ap proval of a train in g w hich gave th e stu d e n ts scholarship accom panied b y a certain prowess in th e w orld of sport. A com bination of th is c h aracter is, as th e speaker rem arked, th e finest qualifica
tion for B ritish m ining engineers, who in these days have to m eet w ith h e a lth y com petition from th e Colonies a n d th e U nited S tates. In th is connexion reference was also m ade a t some len g th to th e in te r
n atio n al ch aracter of th e profession of m ining engineering an d Mr. G ray said he preferred to reg ard it n o t so m uch as a m a tte r of com petition betw een countries in producing th e m ost efficient operators b u t ra th e r th e reverse, a friendly sp irit being m uch in evidence betw een B ritish, C anadian, A m erican, an d o th er n ationalities so engaged.
The to a st of th e guests was proposed by
Mr. A. J. B ensusan—who en u m erated th eir
respective distinctions— an d was responded
to b y Mr. R oxburgh. T h a t, ra th e r, w as th e
program m e, b u t as th e la tte r h ad to leave
early he w as placed in th e unique position
of responding to a speech th a t h a d n o t
been delivered, certain ly an innovation
a t these dinners. Mr. Chester B e a tty
also responded for th e guests an d felt
th a t he m u st m ake some reference to presen t
conditions in world trade. If, he said, one considered th e rem arkable advances w hich h ad been m ade in m ining practice and in th e design of tre a tm e n t plants, one could only regret th a t no sim ilar advance h ad been m ade in th e practice of politics and banking.
As to th e future, however, lie was optim istic, as he was disposed to consider th e present situation as b u t 25% economic, th e other 75% being psychological, and he expressed th e opinion th a t th e world was past the w orst— a cheery note w hich well suited the occasion. T he proceedings concluded w ith Professor Cullis proposing the h ealth of th e chairm an, who in tu rn called for a to a st of th e professors of th e R oyal School of Mines and th e R oyal College of Science, to w hich Professor T ruscott replied.
T h e G eo lo g ica l S u rv ey ’s New H ead q u arters
The rep o rt of th e Geological Survey ju s t issu e d 1 enables th e public and more p articu larly the p ractical geologist to judge ju st w hat use is to be m ade of th e fine building now approaching completion in E xhibition R oad, South K ensington. To th e adm irable choice of th e site for th e new M useum of P ractical Geology we have had occasion to refer previously and it is evident th a t the com pleted m useum will n o t d e tract from the arch itectu ral b e a u ty of this museo- collegiate p a rt of London. Sir Jo h n F lett, director of the Survey, i n , his sum m ary of activities during 1931, n a tu rally devotes considerable a tte n tio n to th e building and its equipm ent and although, as he says, it has n o t y et been possible definitely to allocate space in the new M useum the main lines to be followed have been decided upon, leaving th e details to be filled in a t a la te r stage. I t has evidently been settled th a t th e exhibits in their new home will not be arranged in th e same w ay as a t Jerm yn S treet and a large am ount of new m aterial is to be incorporated, while a cam paign of p hotography recently p u t in h an d is calcu
lated to p erm it of the ample illustration of th e scenery typical of B ritish geological provinces and th e special character of their rocks. In addition p ast geological epochs are to be illu strated b y coloured panoram ic views and paintings, while scale models of interesting geological stru ctu res are also
1 S u m m a ry o f P ro g ess o f th e G eo lo g ica l S u rv ey , 1931. P a r t I. P rice Is. 6d. L o n d o n : H .M . S ta tio n e r y Office.
being prepared. D uring th e present season active field work, carried out under the supervision of officers of the Survey, will, it is hoped, provide th e specimens needed for new exhibits. I t will re ad ily be recognized th a t th e ta sk of arranging for th e rem oval of th e present collections to th eir new hom e will involve a trem endous am ount of real h a rd w ork however well it m ay be organized, although th e prospect of leaving th e gloomy halls of Jerm y n Street for brig h t E xhibition R oad should promise a sufficient rew ard.
A m useum supported b y th e S tate is obliged, n atu rally , to provide a certain am ount of popular display, although it is to be hoped th a t in th e present case the liaison betw een th e Survey and the authorities a t th e N a tu ra l H isto ry Museum in Cromwell R oad will be sufficiently close to prevent th e duplication of elem entary exhibits.
M aterial illustrating th e general principles of geology and a few of its interesting appli
cations will occupy the m ain floor, while the first gallery will represent th e regional geology of G reat B ritain. F o r th is purpose th e cou n try has been divided into 16 districts, each allocated to an experienced officer, and each division of th e gallery will be illus
tra te d by rocks, fossils, m aps, diagram s, models, and photographs, while it is intended to issue an illu strated handbook explanatory of th e exhibits. The second gallery will illustrate th e practical applications of geology and th e industrial uses of rocks and minerals.
So m uch for th e general public. F or the
practical geologist one floor is reserved,
th e whole of th e top floor of th e Museum,
having a superficial area of 16,000 square
feet, being devoted to research an d stu d y
collections. These are to be arranged in
four series, palaeontological, petrographical,
m ineralogical, and palaeobotanical, each
under th e custody of a specialist. Access
to th is gallery will be free to geologists
undertaking research and who wish to consult
th e survey collections. I t is also probable
th a t w orking accom m odation for visiting
specialists will be provided, so th a t it is
hoped th e new M useum m ay become a centre
of research giving every facility for specialists
to m ake use of th e extensive collections which
th e Survey has b u ilt up during th e past
century. W ith so nice a balance of th e
popular and th e practical as has been
carefully arranged it is to be hoped th e
visiting public will be sufficiently im pressed
as to form some conception of th e im portance
of th e work of th e Survey.
In tr o d u ctio n .— The m ost im p o rtan t h appening during th e p a st m o n th has been th e announcem ent of th e G overnm ent’s schem e for th e conversion of th e huge Five per Cent. W ar Loan, th e ra te of in te re st on th e new Conversion Loan being 3 |% . In d u s try should benefit considerably if th e appeal now being m ade m eets w ith th e success anticip a ted . As regards m eta l prices, copper, a fte r falling to new low records, shows signs of recovery, th ere being little change from la st m o n th ’s figures in o th er m etals.
T r a n sv a a l.—T he o u tp u t of gold on th e R a n d for Ju n e was 913,297 oz. and in outside d istric ts 45,714 oz., m aking a to ta l of 959,011 oz., as com pared w ith 965,644 oz.
in May. T he num b er of n ativ es em ployed on th e gold m ines a t th e end of th e m o n th to ta lle d 217,077, as com pared w ith 215,926 a t th e end of May.
T he accom panying tab le gives th e div id en d s declared b y th e R a n d gold m ining com panies on account of th e p a s t half-year.
Figures for th e preceding th re e half-years are given for com parison a n d from th ese it will be seen th a t th ere are tw o additions to th e list, E a s t G eduld ap p earin g for th e first tim e,
2 n d 1st 2nd 1 st
h alf, half, half, half,
1930. 1931. 1931. 1932.
s. d. s. d. s. d. s. d .
B ra k p a n ... 4 6 4 0 4 0 3 0
C on so lid ated M ain R e e f . . 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 3
C row n ... 3 fi 3 6 3 fi 3 fi
D u rb a n R o o d ep o o rt D eep 0
fi
0 9 0 9 0 9E a s t G e d u ld ... 1 0
E a s t R a n d ... 0
fi
0 3G eduld ... 3 3 3 3 3 6 3 6
G eld en h u is D eep ... 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0
G o v ern m en t A r e a s ... 2 3 2 3 2 3 2 3 L a n g laag te E s ta te ... 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 M od d erfo n tein B ... 2 0 1
fi
1 fi 1 3M od d erfo n tein D e e p. . . . 3 3 3 0 3 0 2 9
M od d erfo n tein E a s t . . . . 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 N ew M odd erfo n tein . . . .
fi fi fi
0 5fi
5 3N ew S ta te A reas ... 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0
N ourse M ines ... 0 9 0 9 0 9 0 9
R a n d fo n te in ... 0 (1 0 9
R o b in so n D eep (A Is.) . 1 fi 1 fi 1 6 1 fi
R obinson D eep ( B ) ... 71 4* 0 fi 0 C
Rose D e e p ... 0 fi 0 fi —
S p rin g s M in es... 4 0 3 9 4 0 3 9 S u b N i g e l ... 3 0 3 0 3 fi 4 0 V an R y n ... 0 fi 0 fi 0 9 1 0*
V an R y n D e e p ... 3 0 2 fi 2 fi 2 0
W e st R a n d ... 0 3
W e st S p r i n g s ... 1 0 0 9 0 9 0 9
W itw a te rs ra n d Gold . . . 1 0 0 6 0 6 0 3
* F ree of T ax .
while W est R a n d reappears. The B rak p an com pany in announcing a red u ctio n of 5%
to 15% in th e h alf-y e ar’s dividend sta te d t h a t it h a d been decided to p a y th e first in sta lm e n t of £50,000 due to W itp o o rt A reas on Ju n e 30. W ith th e excep tio n of th e V an R yn p ay m en t, all dividends are declared in S outh A frican currency.
I t was announced la st m o n th th a t th e G eneral M ining and Finance C orporation h a d exercised its option to subscribe a t 10s.
per share for th e 270,576 o rd in ary shares of W est R an d C onsolidated Mines, L td ., held in reserve.
F u rth e r developm ent of th e F a r E a st R an d should follow th e acceptance b y th e U nion G overnm ent of ten d ers su b m itte d b y th e R an d Mines, C onsolidated Gold Fields, and th e Anglo A m erican C orporation for two areas on th e D aggafontein, G rootfontein, a n d V ogelstruisbult farm s, w hich brings one step nearer th e form ation of th e tw o new com panies announced a t th e an n u al m eeting of th e C entral M ining and In v e stm en t C orporation. T h e first com pany is to be called th e V ogelstruisbult Gold Mining A reas an d p articu lars of its capitalization are still to be announced. In a s ta te m e n t issued b y th e R a n d Selection C orporation, however, p articu lars of th e second com pany are given.
T his will be know n as th e D aggafontein E ast a n d will have an initial c a p ita l of £350,000 in £1 shares, of w hich 100,000 have been a llo tted to D aggafontein Mines, L td ., w hich will in re tu rn allow D aggafontein E a st the use of its No. 1 sh aft an d u n d ertak e pre
lim in ary developm ent w ork in th e new area.
In ad d itio n to th e ground acquired for th e tw o new com panies, th e Sub Nigel was successful in its ten d er for 2,027 claim s on th e farm G rootfontein, w hich will increase th a t c o m p an y ’s area to 6,583 claim s, m aking it the largest on th e E a ste rn R and.
A circular to shareholders of Village Deep, L td ., issued la st m o n th , s ta te d th a t th e red u ctio n of cap ital to £425,048 0s. 6d.
b y th e re tu rn of Is. on each 9s. 6d. share, confirm ed a t an e x tra o rd in a ry m eeting in M ay last, has now been sanctioned b y the Suprem e Court.
A t an e x tra o rd in a ry m eeting of N o rth ern P latin u m E x p lo ratio n , L td ., to be held in Jo h an n esb u rg n e x t m o n th , it will be proposed th a t th e com pany be placed in v o lu n ta ry liquidation.
T he re p o rt of H en d erso n ’s T ran sv aal E state s, L td ., for th e y ear to M arch 31 last shows a profit of £38,240, w hich, ad d ed to th e balance of £18,351 brought in, gave an available to ta l of £56,591. Of th is am o u n t
£21,480 has been d istrib u te d as dividends, equal to 5% , £4,508 placed to reserve, and th e balance of £30,603 is to be carried forw ard.
S o u th ern R h od esia. - T h e o u tp u t of gold
from Southern R hodesia during M ay was
46,854 oz., as com pared w ith 46,487 oz. for th e previous m o n th and 43,731 oz. for May, 1931. O ther o u tp u ts for M ay last were : Silver, 7,843 oz. ; coal, 41,783 tons ; chrom e ore, 1,927 tons ; asbestos, 1,118 tons ; mica, 5 tons ; scheelite, 3-|- tons.
A t the annual m eeting of th e Cam and M otor Gold Mining Com pany it will be proposed th a t th e capital of th e com pany be reduced b y th e rep ay m en t of 7s. 6d. per share. In th is w ay th e assessm ent laid on shareholders on th e reconstruction of the com pany will be returned.
T he accounts of Falcon Mines, L td ., for th e year ended Septem ber 30, 1931, show a loss of £916, which increases th e debit balance bro u g h t in to £175,667. I t is sta te d th a t th e A thens mine has been let on tribute, on term s satisfacto ry to th e com pany
D uring th e year 1931 W illoughby’s Con
solidated Co., L td., m ade a profit of £19,987, w hich, added to th e balance of £2,425 brought in, gave an available to ta l of £22,412. Of th is am ount £18,000 has been tran sferred to reserve, leaving £4,412 to be carried forward.
N orth ern R h od esia.—T he rep o rt of M ufulira Copper Mines, L td ., for th e year 1931 shows th a t th e com pany’s q u o ta of copper is being produced by th e Roan Antelope and N ’K an a com panies, while a portion of th e M ufulira stock pile has been sold to th e R hokana Corporation. Since th e la st account the issued share capital of the com pany has been increased to £823,063 12s.
b y the issue of a fu rth e r 3,230,629 shares to Rhodesian Selection T ru st, L td ., R hokana Corporation, L td ., and th e B ritish South Africa Co.
The rep o rt of th e L uiri Gold Areas for May sta te d th a t th e ore tre a te d during the m onth had been draw n from th e new ore- body above th e second level. I t is said th a t th e th ird level in th is body is higher in grade, b u t it is n o t y et sufficiently developed to supply th e mill. Difficulties in following th e old D un R obin reef owing to faulting and w ater troubles on th e 3rd level have decided th e m anagem ent to suspend milling and to concentrate on developing th e Dun Robin ore-bodies and on opening up the Chibaba and Eclipse lodes.
A t an e x tra o rd in a ry m eeting of R hodesian Selection T ru st, L td ., to be held th is m onth it will be proposed th a t the c ap ital of the com pany be increased to £2,500,000 by the creation of 5,000,000 new 5s. shares and th a t an agreem ent entered into w ith the debenture-
holders (the A m erican M etal Co., L td., Cull and Co., a n d th e L ehm an Corporation) be ratified. B y the term s of th is agreem ent th e am ount of o u tstan d in g debentures will be reduced, debenture in terest up to March 1, 1937, will only be payable if profits are m ade, and the debenture-holders agree to subscribe for 404,000 shares.
A u stra lia .—A dividend declared b y the B roken H ill South com pany last m o n th is, it is stated , to be paid out of profits derived from sources o th er th a n m ining a t Broken Hill. A t present prices operations a t the m ines are being conducted a t a loss.
I t was reported last m onth th a t the B roken H ill P ro p rietary Com pany had decided to m ake an offer for the u ndertaking of the N orth K algurli (1912), L td . The la tte r com pany is to prepare an estim ate of the value of its p ro p erty and the offer is to be considered a t th e annual general m eeting.
The rep o rt of South K algurli Consolidated, L td ., for th e year ended March 31 last shows a profit of £76,399, against £32,995 for th e previous year, the effect of the gold prem ium having been favourable to th e com pany.
A fter adding th e sum of £4,610 brought in, th ere is available a to ta l credit of £81,009.
Of th is am ount £31,251 has been d istrib u ted as dividends, £31,251 as a special bonus of 2s. 6d. per share, £12,000 w ritten off pro p erty account, and £5,119 off new p lan t, th e balance of £1,388 being carried forw ard.
D uring th e year 105,248 tons of ore was tre a te d for a gross value of £255,473. The ore reserves a t the end of the year were estim ated to be 214,000 tons blocked out, averaging 8-45 dw t. per ton, and 94,700 tons of “ probable ” ore, averaging 6-09 dw t. A t an ex trao rd in ary general m eeting to be held following th e general m eeting th is m onth it will be proposed th a t th e cap ital of the com pany be reduced b y th e rep ay m en t of 2s. 6d. in cash on each share.
The m onthly re p o rt of th e W iluna Gold Corporation for M ay sta te s th a t, w ith a view to enlarging th e scale of operations a t th e mine, th e power p la n t is being extended by th e installation of two fu rth er Diesel engines an d a lte rn a to r sets, which have been ordered.
The excavation w ork for these units and for an addition to th e thickening section of the p lan t is in hand.
T he favourable developm ents reported at th e G reat Boulder P ro p rietary last m onth have been continued, w ork on th e X-lode a t the 1,800-ft. level confirming th e develop
m ents a t 1,650 ft. A horizontal hole on the
500-ft. level, 350 ft. south of th e E dw ards sh aft, is s ta te d to hav e stru ck a lode 17 ft.
w est of th e level, 7 ft. wide, an d of an average assay value of 18 dw t.
N ew Z ealan d .—T h e accounts of th e W aihi G rand Ju n c tio n Gold C om pany for 1931 show th e am ount received from th e W aihi Gold Mining C om pany for th e tr e a t
m e n t of 26,496 tons of ore to have been
¿11,397, su n d ry o th e r receipts am ounting to ¿2,400. A fter m aking various allowances th ere rem ained a balance of ¿6,443, which, ad d ed to th e ¿3,402 b ro u g h t in, m ade an available to ta l of ¿9,844, of w hich ¿6,906 h as been d istrib u te d as dividends, equal to 4d. per share, leaving ¿2,938 to be carried forw ard. T he ore reserves a t th e end of the y e ar were estim ated to be 23,126 tons, averaging 34s. 9d. per ton.
In d ia.— Shareholders of B ala g h at Gold Mines, L td ., hav e been inform ed t h a t on th e conclusion of th e agreem ent w ith N undy- droog Mines, L td ., th e process of h anding over to th e la tte r com pany is proceeding satis
factorily. A t an e x tra o rd in a ry m eeting th is m o n th special pow ers for th e d irectors of th e B a lag h at com pany to deal w ith profits an d to p rep are for th e v o lu n ta ry liquidation of th e com pany were approved.
M alaya.—T he accounts of M alaysiam T in, L td ., for th e y ear to M arch 31 last show a profit of ¿102. T h e o u tp u t of tin concentrates u n d e r restrictio n regulations was 140J tons, th e p resen t operations of th e com pany being confined to low -grade ground. A circular accom panying th e re p o rt sta te s th a t in order to re p a y a b an k loan, to provide w orking capital, and to provide a sum still owing to th e vendors of th e Glami p ro p e rty the com pany has created 18,000 7 |% deben
tu res, redeem able a t 110 in 1947, of w hich
¿12,300 has been offered to shareholders.
A t an e x tra o rd in a ry m eeting of Anglo- E a ste rn Tin held la st m o n th it was approved th a t th e cap ital of th e com pany be increased to ¿60,000 b y th e creation of 100,000 new ord in a ry 2s. shares.
B o liv ia .— D uring 1931 th e operations of Fabulosa Mines Consolidated were con
ducted a t a loss of ¿15,584, of which ¿14,317 corresponds to charges on th e note issue, w hich it has been impossible to m eet.
D uring th e y ear 597 to n s of fine tin was produced, realizing ¿119 17s. per ton. W ork on th e Union group of m ines has been suspended, operations being a t present confined to th e Milluni and Fabulosa sections.
C h ile.—T h e re p o rt of th e P oderosa Mining Com pany for 1931 shows a loss for th e year of ¿41,545, increasing th e d eb it balance b rought in to ¿44,843. Mining operations ceased in M ay of th e y ear u n d er review, developm ents on th e San Carlos lode being carried on up to th e end of th e year.
T he testin g of th e oxidized zones in th e G rande mines, w hich was announced to sh are
holders in M arch last an d w hich aim s a t determ ining th e b e st m ethod of ex tractio n , is still proceeding.
M exico.— Shareholders of th e S an ta G ertrudis C om pany have been inform ed th a t developm ent w ork a t th e m ine now fails to replace th e ore e x tracted . In th e circum stances a n y d ividend p a y m e n t is to be deferred u n til it has been d eterm in ed w hat funds will be necessary for th e testin g or opening u p of o th e r properties in w hich th e com pany is in terested . L a te r advices have been received to th e effect th a t an entirely new discovery has been m ade in th e E lena S outh Cross-cut, w here rich ore has been encountered.
S p a in .—D uring 1931 th e P eñ a Copper Mines, L td ., m ade a profit of ¿13,084. A fter m aking various allowances an d adding the credit balance b ro u g h t in th ere w as ¿28,413 available. Of th is am o u n t ¿10,000 was placed to reserve, th e balance being carried forw ard.
B r itis h -B o r n e o P e tr o le u m .— Elsew here in th is issue reference is m ade to a new p ro p e rty acquired b y th e B ritish-B orneo P etro leu m Syndicate in G erm any. S hare
holders of th e com pany hav e now been inform ed th a t arran g em en ts hav e been m ade w ith th e A nglo-Persian Oil Co., L td ., in order th a t th e la tte r m ay p a rtic ip a te jo in tly in th e exploration of th is concession.
A n g lo -O r ie n ta l M in in g C o rp o ra tio n .—
T he re p o rt of th e A nglo-O riental Mining Corporation for th e y ear to F e b ru a ry 29 last shows a profit of ¿23,553, th e sum available for ap p ro p riatio n being ¿108,412. Of th is am o u n t ¿5,000 is tra n sfe rre d to reserve, th e balance of ¿103,412 being carried forw ard.
T in and C op p er.—T he schem e for th e fu rth e r re strictio n of tin production announced in th e la st issue of th e
M a g a z i n eand generally know n as th e B yrne schem e
has now been approved and cam e in to force
on th e first of th is m onth. As regards copper,
th e incidence of th e new U n ited S tates
tariff has n a tu ra lly involved th e w ithdraw al
of several im p o rta n t producers from Copper
E x p o rters, Inc.
By R A L P H A . A N D E R S O N
A d escrip tio n of th e p ro c e d u re a d o p te d on th ese p ro p e rties w ith the object of increasing p ro d u c tio n a n d m odernizing w orking m ethods
T he Lake View an d S tar com pany operates two groups of gold m ining leases aggregating 521 acres situ ated a t Kalgoorlie, W estern A ustralia. T he w estern or more im p o rtan t group consists of leases form erly held by th e Ivanhoe Gold Corporation, L td ., Golden Horseshoe, L td ., Chaffers Gold M ining Com
pany, L td., G reat B oulder Main Reef, L td ., and H annans S tar, L td ., w hilst th e eastern group consists 'of th e original leases held b y th e Lake View Consols, L td.
T he properties in th e early days of the field were th u s w orked b y six separate companies, b u t, w ith th e passing of th e years and w ith increasing d ep th and costs of production, o u tp u t gradually dwindled, tre a tm e n t plants becam e worn out and obsolete, prospecting an d developm ent ceased, and in 1928 it looked as though the end of the famous
“ Golden Mile ” as a big producer was in sight, th e operations of th e mines being more or less abandoned to trib u ters. The population of th e d istrict dropped from over 30,000 in 1910 to 17,000 in 1928, p ro p erty values fell aw ay to nothing, and the whole d istrict presented th e appearance of neglect and decay so common to a m ining cam p w hen its hey d ay has passed.
In the m iddle of 1928, however, th e Lake View an d S tar, L td ., took over th e control of th e whole of th e properties enum erated, giving th e field a new lease of life b y reason of th e fact th a t th e com pany decided upon a vigorous policy of developm ent, the installation of a central tre a tm e n t p lan t of th e m ost advanced type, and th e adoption of the best known principles as applied to m ining. A stead y increase in population has resulted and a t the end of 1931 it stood a t 19,000.
As a first move the com pany secured the services of a m ining engineer of extensive experience to ta k e over th e position of general m anager. A fter due consideration th e conclusion was reached th a t an o u tp u t of 30,000 tons per m onth by th e end of 1932 was well w ithin th e capacity of th e m ines and th a t 40,000 tons per m onth m ight confidently be looked forw ard to a little later, provided prospecting for new lenses of ore an d th eir developm ent were pushed on. An extensive cam paign of diam ond drilling was in itiated and it has
resulted in th e discovery of new lenses of p a y ore throughout the properties in u n worked portions from th e upper levels to th e deepest w orked points. A schedule of developm ent was laid down and th e w ork is well in hand. I t was confidently expected th a t th e 30,000 ton m ark would be reached in th e M ay o u tp u t of th e present year.
A t th e outset it could be seen th a t th e w ork of co-ordinating th e w ork underground was beset w ith difficulties. T he w estern leases h a d been w orked from five m ain shafts, th e m anager of each m ine h ad been a law u n to him self, and there h ad n o t been th e collaboration which should a t least have led to th e levels being driven a t th e sam e relative depths. F u rth er, two of th e main shafts th a t had been used for haulage were in such a sta te th a t it was impossible to p u t th e m in order for continuous work, w hilst a th ird was too far aw ay on th e southern confines of th e p ro p e rty and too small to be of m uch use. The fourth, although in th e correct position and already down to a d e p th of 2,258 ft. vertical, was altogether too small. The only shaft of value on the w estern group was th a t on th e Ivanhoe lease, w here sinking h ad been done to a depth of 3,600 ft. and p lats opened out to a d ep th of 3,320 ft.
The eastern group has always been w orked as a separate e n tity and so far as m ining is concerned this m ust continue as th e groups are separated b y th e holdings of the G reat Boulder P roprietary, L td. On this group a fairly good m ain sh aft is in existence an d is down a d ep th of 2,300 ft. vertical.
I t has always been w orked b y the Lake View com pany and for m an y years was a very profitable property, b u t latterly , like all th e rest of th e Kalgoorlie field, h a d fallen upon evil days. U nder th e present m anagem ent this group still supplies a fairly large tonnage of low-grade ore to th e mill, b u t developm ent of the w estern group has tak en precedence.
A cam paign of prospecting and developm ent for th e eastern group has now been outlined and is being gradually brought into effect.
I t is interesting to know th a t th e first
diam ond drill hole p u t out in th e new
cam paign intersected p a y ore in virgin
ground a t a d ep th of 1,600 ft. and th a t th is
is now being opened up b y driving a t th a t
Fi g. 1 . — Po w e r Pl a n t a n d Mi l l, w i t h Bo u l d e r Ta i l i n g s Du m p i n Ba c k g r o u n d.
