Interest Revived

In Old Gira Goldfield, Papua

From Our Own Correspondent

Pt. Moresby, Mar. 24.

T , HE old Gira goldfield, Papua, situated not far from the loma Government station in the mountainous interior of he Northern Division between the water vays of the Mombare and Gira Rivers, las again been attracting attention dur ng recent months.

By the Montoro on March 4, Mr. James Jeorge. a well-known mining engineer, rrived in Port Moresby, and left shortly fterwards by plane for loma. Since then e has been busily inspecting the mining iroperty taken up by Arum Dredging )eyelopment N.L. and other likely pro ositions in the district. Already a ship lent of cargo has been flown to the seat f operations.

It is generally acknowledged that the Id field which first attracted attention s far back as May, 1897, and winch was mrked by one of Papua’s oldest pros ectors. Bob Elliott, holds out as great possibility of success as any mining istrict in the territory.

Commenting on the newly opened dis *ict in 1897, when trials were made for 'aces of gold, Sir William MacGregor ated: “Traces of gold were fouftd to be resent in favourable spots in a greater ?gree than had been noticed before in iy of the other rivers . . . The presence gold was by no means unexpected as appeared clear enough that the gold ime chiefly from the great Albert Ed ard Mountain.”