Treasure Hunters.

Hokitika Guardian, 31 October 1922, Page 3

Treasure Hunters.

branch for. nkw citixka WKAI/m. SVDXI'A , Oct -jo. A propeoting party lias just left Sydney for tlie mandated territory of \ew Guinea, whore they hope to discover rich deposits of precious metal. Ifc “is mulfistood I.l l it.t they ore hacked h.v Broken Hill and .ML I,veil interests, and have been allocated £oQOG to tarry out a three months’ search. Half a million pounds is said to he available for development if the party meet with success; and it is hinted that aid may he forthcoming from the Commonwealth Govornent. Gold, platinum, osmiridium. and iridium are the metals for which search will he made. If the report is favourahle, a second expedition will lx .sent. The prospects of the area were touched upon by l)r Campbell Brown, leader of the Commonwealth New Guinea expedition of 11)20-21, in his interim report presented to the Govern ment. It has always been known, he says, that the Waria river, which flows through a region adjacent to the richest mineral belt in I’apiia. contains a certain amount of gold. No great (pianlity of gold has ever been recorded. says l)r Brown, except in one locality, a concession for which was l iven to an Alsatian subject, named Kempt, by the German Governor before the war. and who, on account <>> being horn in Alsace of French parents, had his title supported by the French (Internment. “I have seen a number of parcels from the Waria river.” says Dr Brown “including some from the concession I

in question, and they have always been clean. Apart from the bed of the river itself, tbe main locality for

alluvial gold occurs on the plateau three ancf n-balf to four days inland by direct route behind Aforobe.”