Party Investigates

Mineral Deposits [?] Dutch N. Guinea

[ (From Our Own Correspondent)

Hollandia, Dec. 23.

rHE Dutch part of New Guinea is about 13 times as big as lolland and this is one reason why ttle is known about the mineral btentials of this enormous landmass. mother reason is that only after jmding-over the Netherlands Indies > the Indonesian Republic did jolland concentrate its attention on Fest New Guinea. fin the years before the war there 'as no need for a special interest in lew Guinea: Holland had the rich jldies with their vast resources of iw materials and their relatively heap labour. New Guinea was “too ir away” and had a very limited ibour supply. [Now Holland has left only the lndies—Suriname and the |ntilles —and West New Guinea rom its former vast overseas terri fies. To explore the hidden and nknown riches of West New Guinea [ now important. [The Netherlands Government has Down for some time of the existence I nickel and chrome ore in the tninsula of Tanah Merah, a spur :om the 2,400 ft Cyclop Mountains, jest of Hollandia, Dutch New luinea’s capital. Information was pwever, not very extensive and Irther investigation has been

fecessary.

iTo this purpose the Netherlands rovernment sent from Holland a arty of ten men: eight students who rere in their last year’s study )r mining engineer, the other two, Jll mining engineers with years of Kperience in tropical countries, he party which arrived in June has nished its work in Tanah Merah and Sports of their work have been sent ) the University of Technology at >elft, together with mineral and soil imples. [Tanah Merah is suitable for the stablishment of a refinery. In the rst place, the peninsula is situated i a deep bay where large ships can le up easily to take aboard the melted nickel or chrome. On ie other side of the peninsula, the esidue from the smelters could be limped into the Pacific Ocean. ; In 1944, when the Allied - Forces 'anted Hollandia as a springboard for urther campaigns against Japan, a f American fleet used Tanah Merah >ay as a base from which to attack

the enemy in the back. That’s why many jeep tracks can still be found on the Tanah Merah peninsula.

These tracks may be useful for future developmental plans.

Two Dutch mining-companies already have applied for mining-concessions.

The mining party is now carrying out other soil and mining investigations near Ifar, where General Douglas McArthur had his military Headquarters in World War 11, and in the hills near “Camp Walker” where another big American unit once set up its tents.

Christmas trees and parties for members’ children were held in Rabaul in December by the New Guinea Club and by the New Britain Club in conjunction with the RSL Club, Mr. J. A. J. Glen, at present in charge of the secondary department of the Lincoln District High School, Canterbury, NZ, has been appointed first Principal of the newly completed £120,000 Samoa College at Apia, W. Samoa. He left Auckland^ on December Tofua, accompanied, by his wife and 13-years-old daughter.