THAMES GOLDFIELD.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIX, Issue 5368, 24 December 1928, Page 2

THAMES GOLDFIELD.

REVIVAL WITH NEW INDUSTRY. GERMAN EXPERT’S VIEWS. Of interest tq all associated with the mining industry on the Thames and Ohinemuri fields is • lecture delivered by Mr Von Maiern, engineer, to the Aotearoa Minerals Development Company, at Thames recently. After touching at some length on the treatment of ores, with particttlsf reference to Concentration and ration, the lecturer (intep alia) said: “The opportunities of to-day are greater than in the olden days. We can to-day make use of all the xniiM erals and metals that go to fonn part cf the ore. Science and chemistry have taught us to do things that were on«e thought impossible. Wte can ® x * tract acids and sulphates neceaaary fIW the manufacture of fertilisers and sulphates and! silicas for ciMnant ■aniw facture, al sb'over 90 p®r cent, of th© gold and silver values fi£Hn any clabs of ore. Chemical and geological dis 4 cqveries have placed the mining engineer in an infinitely better, position than that of the early pioneers to understand just what takes place in the faulting, displacement, and enrichment of our reef systems.” LATERAL PROSPECTS. The Thames goldfieldfe have OPt been properly understood, averred Mr Von Maiern, who went c;n to. say ,; “Mechanical contrivances have enabled us to develop laterally cheaply and numerous parallel reefs have been discovered in all the goldfields of the wcjrld where this system has been tried. The modern system, is to, prospect in the golden channel of country for more reefs. Deep-level mining has its limits —lateral mining has no limits, thus most of the cjid worked-out mines have prospects of development laterally, both on the line Cjf the reef and) in the country. The successes of modern mining , geology, mechanics and chemistry have created the great opportunity that m necessary to revive the Thames and to introduce a new indnstry, perhaps not so exciting but infinitely greater and more permanent than ever before existed in Thames.”

The speaker, then explained the technical precess of the separator, which might have ten or a dozen magnetic poles, each of which would attract one of the various metals as they came down through the machine in their, varying degrees of maknetic properties until the non-magnetic metals, such as silver and gold, fell through to the bottom. Each would be carried off in its own trench. He also dealt with the matter of the Plant to beerec.ted by the company, saying that the total cost would be in the vicinity of £27,000. The plant would cbnsist of four, stone-breakers, two tube mills, three push feeders, transporting bands, bucket elevators, separator, set of corduroy tables and amalgamating machine, and a set of magnetic, separating machines. There wquld be no stamper battery and no cyaniding process; the ore would be gradually reduced by the latest automatic appliances to a size suitable for fine arindina. OUTPUT AND PROFITS. “The design of the plant,” continued Mr. Von Maiqrn, “enables it to consume the base metals recovered from the goldi mines and thus obviate the expense of importing brimstope. It will take at least two, years to develop the mines to a fit state to produce hufficient base metals to keep the works fully employed, and the estimated profits from imported pror ducts will enable the company to pay 8 per, cent, dividends on the full cppiH tai. The profits from this part o£ the undertaking will greatly increase as development is' undertaken, and the pyrites is substituted) for brimstone in the second year in themanus facture of sulphuric acid, which is aS essential as the phosphate in the manufacture of superphosphate. It is proposed to manufacture several different kinds of fertiliser, such as super-phosphate, basic super, basic slag, citirc soluble phosphate, iron sulphate, citric soluble phosphateiron sulphate mixture, and iron sulphate basic slag mixture.” The lecturer next stated that the estimated output for the first year’s operations would be 50,000 tens, and the profit in the vicinity of £65,000, whilst in the second) year would be 113,700 tons, made up of superphosphate 30,000 tons; basic super, 16,-i 000 ; basic slag, 20,000 citric soluble phosphate-iron sulphate mixture, 4700 ; basic slag-iron sulphate mixture, 9000 ; nad iron oxide cement, 28,000; with an estimated profit of over £200,000. It was intended to, us.e only electric power, and it would be necessary for the company to instal its own power plant. It intended to put in two Diesel engines, of 300 h.p. to drive the separator and crashing plant and the other of 1000h.p. for the fertiliser plant. The crushing plant would be on the hill and the fertiliser plant on the flat AID TO PROSPECTING. After stating that the company was not looking for any New Zealand capital, Mr Von Maiem said it was the intention of the company to obviate as much muscular exertion for its men as possible, and it was employing the very latest machinery in the Cambria mine. It was the idea to place £BOOO derived from gold in trust in the bank to pay the first dividend in the first year. He considered that the company, in its selling price of fertilisers, would: be conferring a benefit oni the farming community, and, in addition, thf company was in a position to guarani tee a profit of 8 per c.ent. dividend to its shareholders. In connection with the treatment of ore, the speaker stated) that the company would be prepared to treat parcels of ore by their method for anyone at a cost of about 5s per ton, and would guarantee to extract fft»m 92 per cent, to 98 per cent, of the gold and silver Not only would the new industry help the miners, since; it would employ from 250 to 300 hands, but it would help every business man in Thames. If the company started there would be'more hop* Thames and more prosperity.