Oroville Withdraws

Gold Search in West Papua Abandoned

, From Our Own Correspondent PT. MORESBY, December 1.

THE Oroville Dredging Company has abandoned its prospecting and explor ing activities in Western Papua. The per sonnel has been recalled from the base camp above D’Albertis Junction, on the Fly River, and all equipment is being removed.

The staff and equipment are expected in Port Moresby on the Papuan Chief, from Daru, on December 20.

Thus ends one of the biggest enterprises of the kind that Papua has known.

The company had obtained certain rights over 29,000 square miles in the Western Division, and had organised an expedition of experts, equipped with modern devices, including a Short Scion seaplane. The Papuan Legislative Council, in July, 1934, by the Mining (Facilities for Development) Ordinance, gave the company its special status.

Oroville Company commenced operations in March, 1935, from a base camp, 550 miles up the Fly River. The seaplane was used extensively, prospecting parties being landed wherever indications were promis ing. A Government Patrol Officer, with police and carriers, accompanied the party.

The Oroville party consisted of nine Euro peans and numerous natives.

There have been many contradictory re ports, in the past half century, about gold in this region. Sir William MacGregor re ported in 1890 that there was no payable gold there. Messrs. Frank and James Pryke, who accompanied Sir Rupert Clark’s expedition up the Fly in the launches Kis met and La Caravine, in 1914, reported colours of gold, but nothing in payable quantities.

Mr. Ward Williams, the American mining expert in charge of Oroville’s operations, left Papua on October 31 on a visit to New York.

It is not yet known whether the Oroville Dredging Co. will carry out further pros pecting in Papua.