No Gold Now
p. 102 · Read in the full issue
Coming
Out Of Papua
From R. W. Robson
Port Moresby, Oct. 5.
THERE still is a lot of gold in Misima, Island,” said an old-time miner' whom I met here to-day. “But it. does not pay to get it out, under present; conditions.
“There are from 5 to 6 pennyweights of gold in an average ton of Misima ore..
Before the war, it could be recovered at; a cost of 28/- per ton. That left a nice; profit.
“To-day, with the terrific increase mi the cost of labour and of supplies, it costs? twice as much to recover that gold; andl the gold is not enough to pay the costs of recovery. So the biggest mine has closed up, and—except for a half-dozen atJ Quartz Mountain—all mining has ceased.
In 1939, there were hundreds of ment there. “The only hope of restoring a profitable; industry to Misima is for one big company to take over the whole of the gold bearing country on Misima, and for the Administration to assist it by reducing the costs of native labour, transportation, and: essential supplies.” .
No gold is now being produced irr Papua.
Mr. D. S. Deacon, of the New Zealand] Education Department, in September visited Fiji to inspect New Zealand teachers employed in the Colony under: the scheme of co-operation between the two Governments. He is not a to Fiji. He was for a time on the staff] of the Suva Boys’ Grammar School.