Copper
p. 93 · Read in the full issue
Is New Guinea
Valuable Again?
WHEN Dr. Srinivasan, an Indian scientist doing research work in Melbourne University, was in Queensland in August, he told news papers there that recent discoveries made possible the exploitation of Fseveral million tons of heavily oxidised copper ore in New Guinea.”
A plant capable of treating the ore would be established in New Guinea by the end of 1953, and the ore would be concentrated and shipped to [Australia for smelting.
If there is anything in this, it is important news. Copper is valuable, and becoming more so. But where in New Guinea are these millions of tons of ore?
There are huge deposits in the Port Moresby area of Papua, between Bootless Inlet and Rouna Falls; but the companies which originally sought to exploit them gave up many years ago—the ore was too expen sive to dig and handle. A new dis covery in the treatment of copper ore could easily bring these deposits into the dividend-paying class, with important results for the economy of Papua and Australia.
A few weeks ago, the newspapers made several references to a dis covery of a new revolutionary method of handling ores, made in Melbourne by an Indian scientist.