COSTLY GOLD.

Hokitika Guardian, 11 September 1925, Page 4

COSTLY GOLD.

_ sr—i’sTl! A 1.1 AN BOXES Sdl’fMlT SVDNKV. Sept. I. Tin' prosperity of A list.r:ili:i was lonndcd largely upon the discovery ol the extraction of cold, loti of late years gold mining lias gradually declined. until now it 0 practically a negligible contributor to national production. liven with the most modern method- of recovering: ore from deep levels, and of separating the metal from the ore. gold mining is frankly decadent. Hardly one gold-mining company in Australia is paying dividends. Vet the men who know derlaro that there is still in Australia more cold than was ever taken out of it. The trouble i> that costs have made recovery unpayable. While Lite [trice of cold remains standard, the cost of mining it has increased by leaps and bounds. An illustration of this was afforded recently by the decision < f the W cat Australian Legislative Assembly to urge the Commonwealth liovernment to assist gold mining by the. payment of a bonus as compensation for disabilities suffered by the industry through Federal action. Dining the "nr and for some rears af-

terwards the premium on gold enabled the companies to keep their heads above water, countering the increased cost of mining, but when that vanished, hope of dividends also disappeared. Tlie “Federal action. 1 ’ v 1 1 ieli eel.! producers aver has placed disabilities on their industry, includes such coir mic factors as the tariff and A ri.it ration Court. THE BOXES CLAIM. Mr Bruce, when the gold producer? put their their ease before him, refused to extend the bonus for production. hut on his suggestion the gold prodtu el's' ease was placed hclore the . Coalmen wealth Board cd Trade, which has now SI,: milted its report to the Crime Mini-tor. Probably, acting on this report, a decision hv Mr Bruce will ’: 1 reached shortly. Mining authorities contend that the payment of a honu.s by the l-'ednae Government- for definite number of years would result in the gradual replacement "f the present lields by new cues, and Hie opening up of leases ] reunite,roly abandoned in the oarlv days. They claim that given ten years' stability, through the medium of such a bonus, many of the present min's in the Commonwealth would live for many years. Snell a policy, the am horities de-fare. would result in working costs being largely reduced by the handling of larger tonnages and ny advam ement in metallurgi al and mechanical devices.