THE PROPRIETARY MINE. BROKEN HILL.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 469, 7 May 1890, Page 2

THE PROPRIETARY MINE. BROKEN HILL.

\ * v - ■mu in n nr—ff|r[»i««i'ii"wii*»»r*ir' Thu Silver Age a long and moat interesting ncconnt of the recent virit of Sir Henry Parkes (Premier), and Hon. Sydney Smith (Minister of. Mines), to Broken Hill. The visitors were shown over the Proprietary Mine bv Messrs W. P. MacGregor (Chairman n£ Director*), and Mr J@bn Howell (late Ma tiger of the To Arolia :S. and O. Mining Company. Waiorongoww, and now acting-gauerG manager of the Proprietary mine). At the banquet subsequently given by the directors of the Proprietary Mine to the visitors, Mr Maogregor gave the following statistic* with reference to this miuo : The gross output of thef mine up t<» March 27, 1890, was 15.487,G920z of silver or equal to 470 tons of silver, c.dculnting a ton of silver at 32.6660 z, and 63,405 tons of lead. The average per ton of ore treated wns 44.570 z of -ilver and 18.27 per cent of lead. Taking th« silver at 3« 8d per 0 7. fine, the silver raised wits valued at about L2,841,000, while the lead nt Ll2 per ton had realised L7g8,000, making tho total i:n>ss value of the bullion turned out by tho the Company up to March 27, 1890, 1,3.659,000. Of this sum they had realised one-fifth or2o per pentof the gro*s amount. The sun paid in wages alone hy the Company Irrespective of coke, machinery, freifcht, commission, etc. amounted to [,534,000 or sav 15 per cent of the gross value of the output of the mine. Mr Howell said • “ The importance of the Proprietary mine was hardly yet comprehended. Already it had turned out millions of pounds worth of bullion, while as yet the mine had only been worked to a depth of 250 ft, and there was still ore enough of the same character as that already treated exposed to view in the workings to keep the metallurgical works going for many years to come. In the future the output of ore would Joe largely increased. Much of this ore from the deeper levels, would require to be treated with water, and it was doubtful whether the mines would supply the water required. If the mines did not supply it, the mines wriuld ? have to depend upon the Government to supply it. If this was done, and one or two other wants supplied, the mine would last them for very many years to come. The mine had all the indications of being the greatest mine in the world. He had during the past 30 years managed the best mines in America, but in the Proprietary mine, the stock of ore was so inexhaustible that it promised to be tbe greatest silver mine the world had seen."

Mr Z. Lane (formerly connected with the La Monte furnace, Thames), in the course of his remarks stated the mines on the field were valued nt L20,000,0Q0; and referred to the great impetus that had been given to mining in the district, by the enterprise of The Silverton Tramway Company, The Chairman of this Tramway Company, Mr W. P. MacGregor, referring thereto, said : “ He and his' fellow directors in the tramway company had been, constantly abused by a sec tidn of the people for the manner in which they had managed the affairs of the Company. There were people who, if you saved half-a-crown for them and charged 6d for the brains expended {ifeo doing, grumbled, and would rather'-toae the whole 2s 6d than allow anyone to make 6d out of the half-a-crown saved. When tl»© tramway was constructed there were two 30-ton smelters running on the hill, and the manager was standing on the hilltop looking anxiously over the plains praying for the arrival of the coke and limestone teams. The chairman of directors and he on their own responsibility raised the money to construct the line and put it in hand at once. To show how much courage was required to build the line in those days he might mention that Af? Speight, the chairman of Victorian %i\\yay Commissioners, advanced the opinion privately to the then chairman, Mr A. Blackwood, that the tramway would not pay per cent on the outlay, advising the Company strongly not to put their mopey info it. The Act authorising the construction of the line allowed the Company to charge from 5d to 9d per ton per raiiq for the carriage of goods. The sll.l was passed through all its stages without a division. One member called for a division but no one supported him, and the division was not taken. When the first train was run 3d per ton was charged per mile for carriage, and this was subsequently reduced to 2d per ton. The urnount voluntarily surrendered by the Company iq this way up to Decern-. <

her 31, 1889, was L 79.946. On ore alone the reductions, in.tlie r cost of carriage amounted to sG'.99'per.cent, r,n coal 55.61 por cent dr inure than half, on bullion 34.32 per cent, on mine timber.34.l6 per per cent, on first and second ; class goods 18.71 per cent and 15,76 respectively. The last mentioned were comparatively small items, but including them the voluntary reductions made by the Company on the rites they were allowed by their Act to charge were equal to say 31 per ofeht all round. The paicel rates were reduced 40 per eeut on August I, 1889, Had tnese reductions not been made tho profits of the company would have been increased by L79,946,*'