A NEW ELDORADO

Hokitika Guardian, 10 August 1931, Page 7

A NEW ELDORADO

GOLDFIELDS OF NEW GUINEA. That New Guinea within the next few months is destined to take its place among the great gold-producing countries ok the world was the opinion expressed recently by Major it. Campbell, a planter from Papua, who is at present on a visit to Dunedin. Major Campbell told a Daily Times reporter that whilst the outside world as yet knew comparatively little of what had been done on the Edie Creek and f-iulolo go Id fie ids, there was no doubt that when the companies operating these fields had their machinery erected and their organisations in proper working order, both localities would be the scene of goldrushes comparable only with those of Kalgoorlie or Johan' nesburg. Already huge areoplanes were transporting the heavy machinery from the coast to the goldfields, and when the winning of gold was ultimately put on a sound business footing it was im possible to predict what wealth the country would produce. Major Campbell explained that he himself came 'from the territory of Papua, formerly known as British New Guinea, which lay on the southern side of the Owen Stanley Range, so that he was unable to speak authoritatively ns to what was going on at Edie Creek and Bulolo, which were in the mandated territory on the northern side of the range • but he had heard of severe prospectors who, after several months had managed to com e out with eomfor, tables fortunes. Up tq the present, very little prospecting had been carried out m the territory of Papua, hut there was undoubted proof that gold of a very fine quality existed there, and already a New Zealand syndicate had acquired the mining rights over a large area of land about 60 miles west of Port Moresby, in which rich goldbearing deposits 'had been discovered. There were undoubtedly great possibilities in these deposits, as they were more accessible than were the fields in the mandated territory, and the difficulty of obtaining labour was reduced to a minimum on account of the natives being more civilised and amenable to discipline,

A coconut planter himself, Major Campbell was anything but optimistic regarding the future oif the copra industry in New Guinea. For some years the price of copra had gradually been dropping, and now with the depression that existed planters were having a hard struggle to make ends meet, although labour was cheap and plentiful. A boy could be recruited for one, two, or three years, the total cost, including recruiting fees, to each planter being about £l6 per unit per annum, but despite this, prices were such that coconut planting was anything but a royahroud to wealth .'•'Tire'same-applied' to rubber and coffee. The country was admirably adapted to the growing of sugar cane, but whilst there were great poetentialities in this country, its development, particularly in the mandated territory, bad been retarded by interests in Australia. fThe, future of New Guinea,” said Major Campbell, undoubtedly lies Ip Its gold production, but I would issue a word off warning to those who imagine they have only to go there to make a fortune overnight. Foreseeing the possibility of a gold rush, the authorities both in the mandated territory and iPapua, have now passed legislation that no one may take up residence in the country unless he possesses £6OO or has employment to go to.”