Iron Ore

Huge Deposit Reported In New Britain

MR. W. B. PILLING, a director of East ern Prospecting Syndicate, No Liabil ity, of Melbourne, who reached Sydney on the Neptuna on November 10, told the “Sydney Morning Herald” that there was .an almost fabulous quantity of high-grade iron ore in New Britain.

He had been sent up by his firm, he said, to make a first-hand survey of the iron-bearing area, and he had found something far greater than had been de scribed in the stories he had heard con cerning the locality.

He had been told that the magnetic needles on ship’s compasses had been known to be deflected as much as ten •degrees when passing close to the locality, and he had been able to confirm this indi cation of a huge deposit of iron.

His firm had purchased an area of 500 acres, right on the sea coast, and he had found here a most remarkable formation.

A moderate estimate was that there was 10,000,000 tons of ore actually in sight, and, as the tendency for iron was to be buried deep in the bowels of the earth it was almost impossible to hazard even a wild guess as to the quantity which lay below.

The nearness to the water’s edge and the fact that there was ample depth to give loading facilities for cargo boats, combined with the cheap labour which would be available, added to the value of the deposit.

This deposit had been discovered by Lieutenant-Colonel J. J. Cummings, for merly city engineer at Newcastle and later Surveyor-General in charge of mines at New Guinea, who came across it when the territory was being taken over from the Germans. He reported it to Mr. Evan G. R. Stanley, the geologist, who in turn reported the discovery to the League of Nations. It seemed remarkable that such a rich potential iron mine should have re mained undisturbed so long.

Mr. J. D. Patterson, chairman of direc tors of the company, who came from Mel bourne to meet Mr. Pilling, said that his company had been approached by a Jap anese firm, which was anxious to negoti ate for the purchase of the complete out put of the mine, but he was not at liberty to make any further statement on the matter at the present time.

This huge deposit of iron ore is situated inland and southwards from Talasea, on the northern coast of New Britain, ac cording to Captain A. J. Kenrick, a prom inent mining engineer, who has carried out much survey work in New Guinea.

Papua and Dutch N. Guinea. The deposit was discovered by German Government officials, he said, and they worked portion of the area near the coast.

Captain Joseph Chaniel, a well-known figure in New Caledonia and New Heb rides, recently died in Noumea, Born at Antibes, Prance, he ran away to sea as a boy. In 1900 he arrived in Australia as maitre d’armes of the schooner Pacifique.

Shortly afterwards he joined the St. Louis as chief mate, becoming master about 1903, Capt. Chaniel held this command for more than 20 years, trading between Noumea, Newcastle and Sydney. Later he commanded the St. Antoine in the New Caledonian coastal trade, visiting Aus tralia occasionally in the St. Antoine, Neo Hebridais, and other vessels.