Papuan Prospecting.

A writer in Sydney “Bulletin” is caustic: Many Australians were hit badly in the Mt. Lawson and other Papuan mining- fiascos. Now comes news of other more or less valuable discoveries on the Papuan mainland, this time at the south-eastern extremity of the big island. The new Eldorado is said to lie between Milne Bay and Mullins Har bour, two inlets on the opposite sides of the peninsula and about 30 miles apart. Several syndicates and cos. have been rooting in this comparatively small area, but so far they have got little out of it but material for pros pectuses. Glowing accounts of a valley full of golden nuggets and platinum lumps as big as grains of maize have been broadcast. Actually, small plat inum patches, too low in value to re ward the cheap labour of box-sluicing, have been found. Two cos. on the old Gibara field, at Milne Bay, report that they have located large ore-bodies, but the value of these remains to be proved.

The country was turned over by capable prospectors 40 years ago, when the Milne Bay field was a payable proposition. Desultory prospecting in land from both sides of the peninsula has since been carried out, but without conspicuous success.

Dr. Kempthorne, Bishop of Polynesia, has been lately on a visit to Tahiti, where he held several English services in the Papeete Protestant Church. He was accompanied by Mrs. Kempthoffie.

He returned to New Zealand by the “Makura” in November and went on immediately to his headquarters in Fiji.