CONSOLIDATED GOLDFIELDS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2892, 18 August 1909, Page 28

CONSOLIDATED GOLDFIELDS.

AN ENTERPRISING COMPANY. i (Faoai Ocb Own Cobbespondent.) 1 GREYMOUTH, August 9. Interviewed by a Greymouth Star reporter, Mr David Ziman. the well-known London mining speculator, gave some interesting information. He eaid that the three mines worked by the Consolidated Co. were the Progress, the Blaokwatar, and the Wealth of Nations, and these were all being developed and worked to the very *be3t effect, and the returns were in consequence increasing as fresh development went on. He hoped before long to sea them give as good a return on the outlay as they did i» the early days of quaitz mining yonv on the coast, when little or no development was necessary. The Progress mine was looking exceedingly well, and promising better than e\er as they got deeper and struck the lower levels where the or«k bodies were more pronounced, and he looked forward to this property giving highly payable results in the near future as the-y^igot down to the old standard of quartz-bearing -reef. The Blackwater mine was a nice mine to work, being well ventilated and airy. _In fact, all three of the mines would compare favourably with any quartz mines in . New Zealand in respect to good air and | ventilation, with the result that the health of the men working in them was good. The Wealth of Nations was absolutely the lowest mine, as they were now working between 1800 and. 2000 ft below the snirfaO. Yet the ventilation at tHat depth was i equally as good as in the other .mines, and the men worked there quite comfortably. They Jhad struck the reef at an angle at one of the top levels, and were now working down to oafceh it at the lower level, and were getting good returns all the time, though when they did strike the lead they hoped it would te rich, and he was sanguine -that it was not now very far off. The Consolidated Co. held £160,000 worth of interest in the Progress mine, £100,030 " in the Blackwater, and the whole interest in the Wealth of Nations and the Progress mine holds 100,000 shares ift the Blackwater, so that -file company was thoroughly represented on the firsti and "must do. all it > could to push matters ahead, and would spare neither time, money, nor machinery to thoroughly develop the mines. Mr Ziman here mentioned a mattar in connection, with, the Progress mine which should' show how the company is alive to its ovra interests. Within a mile" of the Progress mine is a seam of coal and plenty of ' limestone, and as both of these are neces&ary factors in the smelting woris, t}ie company has secured' the property, and ; is- now providing its o^n coal^ and litna stone at the door- of the smelting works, which, it will be at onoe conceded, jis a direct advantage and money-saving provision. It also provides Its own miners and workmen with good household coal at a small coat. Before leaving this subject, Mr Ziman remarked that the company could place a number of capable miners on each of its works, at the standard of wages laid down by the Arbitration Court, but there appeared to be a dearth of certificated miners in the district. There, was plenty of work to put them at, and they could rely on a permanency. As regards the investment he hpd re-* . cently made in the Thames, he explained that as yet no development had been attempted, but about £8000 had been expended on taking up the option. After thoroughly testing the area for Teef they had secured an option over 300 acres, and considered that they had secured the continuance of the gold-bearing quaTtz lead whidh had proved so remunerative to the shareholders in the original Waihi mine. Having secured the option, it now only remained for them to start about developing the DTopcrty, and to that end they had ordered the proper machinery, and -nothing would be spared to make a thorough test of tihe property, and they would provide all the working capital to do so. i Being asked if he had taken up. wms interest in the Kotuku petroleum oil work* Mr Ziman Teplied that the Cqnsol-dated Co. had invested £100,000 with Mr Joseph Taylor, and intended to thoroughly exploit the Kotuku oil supply, as they were sanI gume that the crude- oil which Mr Tavlor i had already procured so near the surface ' was equal in quality to any crude oil in the world, and wh?re so much could b' procured as had already been erot, it showed that more remained. One thins: that _ the company had done since it had" £>wed Mt Tavlor wtae to send Mr Charles Tavlor through America to see for himself aH the latest developments in oil boring machinery, : and, in fact, to pick up as many wrinklea in connection with of- wells and ttvMr development as he could. He would also learn where to procure the necessary machinery if such were at any. time He was now in Pennsylvania, and having a.!rea<ly studied the subject well wouM not take long to become proficient in all the latest and most approved methods. mo te*te that had been made of the oil tra* had been got- at Kotuku showed that H was absolutely the best crude oil m the world, and, juderinp by appoaranM*. tlwro must be a supply ther* which will doubt- ; less prove highly profitable in the near r ; future. ; i . — — —