Record N.G. Gold Output

£A191,316 Record N.G. Gold Output for September

THE Morobe goldfields Warden (Mr.

Harold Taylour) compiled the follow ing official report for September, covering the progress and expansion of the various companies operating on the field:

Gold Export

Gold and silver bullion exported during the month amounted to approximately 30,715 ounces valued at £A191,316. This is the highest output recorded for any one month since the commence ment of gold mining in New Guinea.

Mt. Kajndi Gold

An interesting auriferous outcrop was recently discovered on the slope of Mt. Kaindi, overlooking the Golden Ridges mine. The discovery was made on a gold mining lease adjoining the property of New Guinea Goldfields Ltd. The Wau-Edie Creek road, now under construction, will pass close to the outcrop.

At this date insufficient work has been done on the deposit to permit of definite conclusions being arrived at as to the probable extent and import ance of the occurrence.

A small local syndicate is now engaged in pros pecting the discovery area.

Upper Watut Area

Considerable attention is being paid to this area at present. Test-pits are being sunk on a number of the alluvial flats and arrangements being made for the installation of hydraulicing and hydro-electric plant.

Lower Watut Area

A number of individual miners are centring their attention on the alluvial gravel of this area.

Results being obtained are poor, and in many cases barely payable. This is not to be wondered at as the gold here is very fine and methods only suitable for catching coarse gold are being employed.

Bitoi And Black Cat Cks.

About a dozen parties remain in this area and are all more or less having a lean time owing to flood conditions experienced during the last three months. A water race is being constructed along the Bitoi to work some terraces just below the junction of the two creeks. A nozzle will be used and it is hoped that the ground though low grade will prove payable owing to an increased output.

Limestone At Wau

A replacement deposit of limestone has been un covered by S. Barker on his Miner’s Homestead Lease, Wau. Owing to lack of exposures, par ticulars of the deposit are not obtainable.

A trial parcel was burnt and a satisfactory grade of lime is said to have been produced. A kiln is being made on the spot for the burning and production of lime for use in gold extraction plants using the cyanide process.

Day Dawn South (N.G.) N.L.

No. 1 vein, 130 ft. level: No. 1 rise has been put up 30ft. in ore. Total, 45ft.

No. 1 vein, 200 ft. level: North drive has been advanced sft. in ore. Total, 260 ft. No. 2 rise has been put up 25ft. in ore. Total, 65ft.

No. 1 vein, 340 ft. level: North drive has been commenced at 45ft. in crosscut and driven sft. in ore. Total, sft.

No. 2 vein, 170 ft. level: No. 1 winze has been sunk 30ft. in ore. Total, 45ft.

Bulolo Gold Deposits Ltd.

(Sluicing Operations: Sluicing was carried out continuously during the month. The area now being worked is on the east side of Flat Creek in Dredging Claim No. 29.

Clearing; This work is being carried on ahead of the sluicing.

Employees: The company employed four Euro peans and 75 natives during the period. The health of all the employees was good.

Sunshine Gold Development Ltd.

Baiune Water Race Construction: Race benching to a width of 7ft. 6in. was under way, and a dis tance of 2747 ft. was excavated for the period.

Wire and Kunda Bridge over Baiune River: Erection completed, and several chain lengths of track were cleared and formed, leading to the bridge.

Roadway: A roadway 700 ft. in length for vehicle traffic was under construction near the company’s consolidated claims.

Ono Leases: Drill camps were being erected; ’drome cleared of kunai; drill plant transported from the ’drome; and some pitting was under way.

An average of 15 natives were engaged along with two Europeans.

Undaunted Lease: The erection of trestling to carry fluming for the Undaunted water race was under way by the contractor.

Recruiting: The company’s recruiter brought in 15 natives for mining and carrying.

Heavy rains fell during the month and retarded the work generally.

New Guinea Goldfields Ltd.

Edie No. 1: No. 3 level, west drive from north cross-cut at 790 ft. was advanced 85ft. to a distance of 225 ft. Rise from No. 3 level, west drive, south cross-cut at 603 ft. commenced and advanced to 21ft. from rails.

Edie No. 2: No. 4 shaft was sunk a further 48ft. to a depth of 504 ft. Diamond drill chamber in south cross-cut from water race adit was com pleted, size 30ft. by lift. Rising for blocking out ore 139 ft.

Karuka: Haulage cross-cut, to connect with No. 4 shaft, was commenced and advanced lift.

Day Dawn (N.G.) Ltd.

B Level, 140 ft. level; No. 8a rise has been put up 15ft. through to the surface. Total, 115 ft.

No. 1 level, 210 ft. level: Footwall drive cross-cut has been put in 35ft. Total, 65ft.

Intermediate level, 270 ft. level; Main south drive has been put in 15ft. Total, 685 ft. Cross-cut west from main south drive at 662 ft. has been put in 4ft. Total, 20ft.

Stope No. 1—5a rise has been carried along in ore for a length of 27ft. at an average width of 8ft. to an average height of 55ft. above the floor of the level.

Stope South from No. 2 north rise has been carried along in ore for a length of 25ft. at an average width of sft. to an average height of 60ft. above the floor of the level.

No. 2 Level, 310 ft. Level; Main south drive has been driven a further 15ft. south from cross-cut west at 230 ft. and also driven north a further 37ft. connecting through to the old main south drive at this point. Total progress for month, 52ft.

Total distance, 250 ft.

Stope No. 2a rise south has been commenced and carried along in ore for a length of 30ft. at an average width of 8ft. to a height of 18ft. above the floor of the level.

Milling; No. 1 mill ran 376 hours and crushed 588 tons. No. 2 mill ran 368 hours and crushed 600.25 tons. Making a total running time of 744 hours and total tonnage crushed 1188.25 tons.

Ore Raised in September: B level, 140 ft. level, 263.9 tons; No. 1 level, 210 ft. level, 115.8 tons; intermediate level, 270 ft. level 444.9 tons; No. 2 level, 310 ft. level, 363.65 tons. Total, 1188.25 tons.

Bulolo Gold Dredging Ltd.

Air Transportation: 238 tons of freight were delivered to Bulolo and Bulowat aerodromes dur ing the month, also 33 white and 54 native passen gers were carried. The U.O.V. machine was taken into the workshops for complete overhaul on September 10. The fact that there was only one machine in operation for the greater part of the month, coupled with the continued wet weather, resulted in fewer trips for the month.

Dredge Operation: The four dredges were oper ated continuously throughout the month and re covered a total of 16,237 ounces from the 930,100 yards dredged.

Baiune Power Project: It is now expected to complete the race and pipe line about the middle of October. Approximately 26 whites and 250 natives are engaged on this work. The installa tion of the power-house plant is well in hand, and it is expected to have at least two units operating about the beginning of November.

Placer Arnolds Property: As anticipated the sluicing plant operations were retarded through shortage of water as practically all the water in the race was required for operating the power plant. Together with boxing operations on the upper portion of the property 2521 cubic yards were treated and yielded 188 ounces of gold.

Drilling and Testing; Both “Keystone” power drills were worked double shifts testing throughout the month at Bulolo and one hand drilling plant was operated on the Bulwa end of the property.

Health: The Medical Officer reports the follow ing cases treated in hospital during the month: Europeans, 6; natives, 62. The natives included 15 dysentery patients and a number of cases of influenza.

Koranga Gold Sluicing Ltd.

Two nozzles operated on day shift, one on wash and the other on overburden. Progress on tail race from Bulolo is proceeding satisfactorily. Elec tric light plant is functioning well. The health of European staff and native employees was good.

A further area of native foodstuffs has been planted.