Rich Bougainville

Ore Near Kieta Carries Payable Gold

IT will not be surprising if there is an early boom in the mining of gold and other metals in Bougainville which is the most northerly of the Solomons Group, but which, for ad ministration purposes, is part of the Mandated Territory of New Guinea.

A considerable time ago, prospectors located a very good lode of ore at Ku pei, 8 miles from Kieta, which is the administrative centre of the very large Island of Bougainville. This lode re turned such excellent prospects that the Broken Hill Pty. Co. made an in vestigation. The company turned down the proposition; and the option was then taken up by Bougainville Gold Options Ltd., whose head office is at Trustee Building, Grenfell Street, Ade laide. The latter concern has proved that the Broken Hill concern slipped badly somewhere.

Mining operations have gone on steadily for some time past, with the result that a tunnel has been put in for 38 feet and a cross-drive for 12 feet. These operations have disclosed an enormous quantity of payable ore.

The assays have shown a remarkable richness of gold—as well as 6 per cent, copper, 45 per cent, zinc and a remark ably rich section carrying 75 per cent, nickel. One recent visitor says that the structure containing gold “is not a lode; it’s a mass.”

It is anticipated that there will be interesting developments shortly. The nominal capital of the company is £50,000, and the shares are all in pri vate hands.

Incidentally, it is believed that there are on Bougainville other opportunities for development. The northern portion of the island is broken and mineralised, but in the southern portion there is a vast plain —known as the Buin plain —which is believed to be extraordin arily good sugar-growing country.