Tavua Field
p. 59 · Read in the full issue
Dr. Hills’ Continued Confidence in Fiji Gold
THE confident belief that the lodes of -*■ Tavua goldfield will live down for at least 3000 ft., was expressed by Dr. Loftus Hills, consulting geologist to Aloha Central Gold Mine, N.L., at an informal meeting of shareholders of that company on April 30.
Dr. Hills described the lode system on the field and said that from 12 months’ study of it he had found that a rock system existed to 3000 ft., and that there were favourable indications for a con tinuation of the depth.
“Ore bodies on the Tavua field,” said Dr. Hills, “are made up of beds, each bed having different qualities. Variations to be looked for, and in some parts we find traces of gold, and in others high
values. The beds are of various volcanic substances, the phy sical and chemical natures of which, determine the values.
“These variations make any estimate, based on one or two shafts, only a very small part of the story.
“In a property with such a huge ore body as the Emperor it would be impossible to get values exactly the same all the way down. Loloma has narrow lodes of very high values.
These can be expected to spread like the Emperor’s at any horizon.
“The opinion at one time existed that Bendigo would not live down, but development resulted in an ultimate pro duction of £80,000,000 worth of gold.
“Tavua has alternating rich and poor horizons. Develop ment will be a succession of rich and poor zones as it goes down.
Bendigo went down to 4000 ft. and I predict that Tavua will live down to the same magnitude.
“No hard and fast conditions can be made, however, from the present depths, but the rock formations known to exist reflect favourably on future work at depth.”
Rev. C. Moir Smith, of the London Mis sionary Society at Urika, Papua, departed from Sydney for England by the Mon golia on May 13, on 18 months’ furlough.
He was accompanied by his wife and young son, Donald.
Mr. Henry G. Wright died at Suva, Fiji, after a long illness on April 10, at the age of 53. An Australian, he had lived in the Colony for some 18 years, being connected in his earlier days with several commercial firms. Recently Mr. Wright had been engaged in the cattle and min ing industries.