Goldfield Progress

Sale of Watut Leases—The Upper Ramu Field—Developments on the Lower Watut

From Our Own Correspondent

THE Macdhui, which arrived at Salamaua on December 20. brought 45 passengers for the Morobe district—13 of whom came to join New Guinea Goldfields Ltd. Day Dawn (New Guinea) Ltd. had two new em ployees arrive.

New Guinea Goldfields Ltd. have completed the power-house at Kunai Creek and are now busy completing the erection of transmission lines over Mt.

Kaindi to Edie Creek and to Golden Ridges and the Wau.

The machinery for Golden Ridges is coming forward by aeroplane quickly enough to allow good progress to be made with the installation of the plant and it will not be long before active production commences.

Guinea Airways carried in 330 short tons of machinery to Bulolo in the B.G.D.’s two 3-engined Junkers, dur ing November. Work is going ahead well with the power-house, and a good deal of the structural steel work has been erected. B.G.D. is employing over 100 Europeans and some 400 or 500 natives on the job at Bulolo.

A good deal of interest is being taken in the sale of the Watut leases, which are being sold under an order of the Central Court, Rabaul. These leases have been held and worked by the Upper Watut Gold Mining Company and are said' to contain good values.

The Company have had a lot of bad luck, with floods and break-downs, and

it is to be regretted that they are un able to carry on after the great expense they have been put to in opening up the properties.

As there is considerable doubt among tributors as to whether tributes will be renewed by the N.G.G. Ltd., a num ber of miners are looking further afield and it is to be hoped that with those miners who are used to local conditions prospecting, new ground will be opened up in the near future.

Messrs. Rowlands and Übank have been working quietly on the Upper Ramu. and it will not be surprising if some of the Edie Creek miners drift off in that direction.

A. D. O. Penglase is returning to Salamaua, and the miners hope that the country in which he has recently been patrolling will now be opened up for prospectors. This area has been closed ever since Baum was murdered by the natives.

Interest is being displayed in the re pegging of the ground on the Lower Watut, which was previously known as the Babuaf Leases. A syndicate headed by Mr. A. “Tommy” Thompson, of Wau, has taken up four dredging claims in the area. From a transport point of view these properties should be easily accessible as the country is almost flat as far as Lae and no difficulty should be experienced in putting in a suitable road. The area over which the leases are held is flat kunai country and very hot.