Miners Invited In
p. 132 · Read in the full issue
BS1 Wants A Gold Industry
BY an official announcement on January 12. 1952. the Solomon Islands Administration out lined liberal terms on which private enterprise is now invited to engage in mining operations in the Solomons.
It will be remembered that, soon after the war, the Fiji mining com panies proposed to enter upon ex tensive prospecting for gold in
Guadalcanal. But when the Ad ministration, under direction of the British Socialist Government, in troduced new regulations which would have forced the companies to pay over a large proportion of their earnings in royalties to the Government, the late Mr. E. G.
Theodore, head of the group, can celled the whole plan., Since then—although it is be lieved there is substantial mineral wealth in the Solomon Islands— there has been no prospecting or mining worthy of note.
Under the new conditions
announced, the scale of royall clearly set out; but the High missioner now is ready to gi emption over a period of yea if circumstances warrant it, h cancel royalties altogether, 1 tax, in BSI, is 1/6 in the £.