Special Investigator Appointed

Conditions In Papua

Commonwealth Govern

Ment Takes Action

From Our Canberra Correspondent CANBERRA, January 14.

THE Commonwealth Government has selected a well-known mining ex pert of Western Australia to proceed to Papua and make a thorough investiga tion of present conditions.

This follows upon the criticism that has taken place in the Federal Parlia ment respecting Government policy, more especially in regard to the condi tions relating to mining leases in the Territory.

In the middle of next month the Lieutenant-Governor of Papua, Sir Hubert Murray, will visit Canberra, and the Government will then be able to go thoroughly into the whole matter with him.

In his last report, which was only recently printed, the Lieutenant-Gover nor states that the prospects of gold mining in Papua do not look particu larly promising, except in Misima.

“A fair amount of gold.” he says, “has been won from the Territory— about £2,000,000 worth—since the early nineties, but of late years, and especi aly since the closing of the big mine at Misima, in September, 1922, the amount exported has been small. So far, very rich deposits of gold have been found only on the other side of the main range, and have all lain within the Mandated Territory of New Guinea, and though there has been of late considerable activity in looking for gold in Papua, the energy displayed in the search has been scantily rewarded.”

It is understood that the expert who is going to New Guinea will investigate the position both in Papua and the Mandated Territory.