DMP Annual Report 1955
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COVER PICTURE The cover picture shows the Sons of Gwalia Gold Mine at Leonora. In the foreground of the picture are the staff houses and swimming pool. In the centre can be seen the plant, mine buildings and the head~frame, with" the open cut in the background. This is the oldest mine in Western Australia having been worked continuously since 1897. It has produced 6,063,460' 53 tons of ore for 2,362,405 fine ozs. of gold. WESTERN AUSTRALIA - 1957 1-;::============================ OF THE e artm nt of In s FOR THE YEAR 1955 I I PERTH: By Authority: WllLlAM H. WYATT, Government Printer 1957 3974'3'57-625 To the Hon. Minister for Mines. Sir, I have the honour to submit the Annual Report of the Department of Mines of the State of Western Australia for the year 1955, together with reports from the officers controlling Sub-Departments, and Comparative Tables furnishing statistics relative to the Mining Industry. I have the honour to be, Sir, Your obedient servant, A. H. TELFER, Under Secretary for Mines. Perth, April, 1956. TABLE Of CONTENTS DIVISION I. Page Part I.-General Remarks 7 Output of Gold during 1955 7 Mining generally 7 Minerals .... 8 Coal 8 00 8 Part Il.-Minerals Raised.... 9 Quantity and Value of Minerals produced during 1954-55 .... .... 9 Value and Percentage of Mineral Exports compared with Total Exports 10 Amount of Gold from every Goldfield reported to Mines Department 11 Gold Ore raised and average per man employed .... .... .... 11 Output of Gold from other States of Australia, Mandated Territory of New Guinea, and New Zealand 12 Dividends paid by Mining Companies during 1955 12 Minerals, other than Gold, reported to ~1ines Department 14 Coal raised, Value, number of Men employed, and Output per man 15 Part IlL-Leases and other Holdings under the Various Acts relating to Mining- Number and Acreage of Leases held for ~ning 15 Part IV.-Men Employed- Average Number of Men engaged in ~1ining during 1954-55 16 Part V.-Accidents- Men killed and injured during 1954-55 17 Part VL-State Aid to Mining- State Batteries .... 18 Geological Survey 18 Assistance under the Mining Development Act 19 Part VIL-Inspection of Machinery 19 Certificates granted to Engine-drivers under Machinery Act 19 Part VIIL-Government Chemical Laboratories 19 Part IX.-School of Mines 20 Part X.-Explosives 20 ,,'art XL-Miner's Phthisis and Mine Workers' Relief Act .... 20 Part XIl.-Chief Coal Mining Engineer 20 DIVISION 11. Report of the State Mining Enginaer 23 Index to Report of State Mining Engineer 41 DIVISION Ill. Report of the Superintendent of State Batteries 43 Return of Parcels treated and Tons crushed at State Batteries for year 1955 45 Tailing Treatment, 1955 ... 45 Statement of Revenue and Expenditure for year (~lling and Tin) 46 Statement of Revenue and Expenditure for year (Tailing Treatment) 47 DIVISION IV. Annual Progress Report of the Geological Survey 49 DIVISION V. School of Mines- Report of the Director 55 DIVISION VI. Report of the Chief Inspector of Machinery 63 DIVISION VII. Report of the Government Mineralogist and Analyst 69 DIVISION VIII. Report of the Chief Inspector of Explosives 79 DIVISION IX. Report of the Chairman, Miner's Phthisis Board and Superintendent, Mine Workers' Relief Act 83 DIVISION X. Report of the Chief Coal Mining Engineer 87 STATISTICS. ~1ining Statistics 97 STATE OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA • Report of the Department of Mines for the Year /955 • DIVISION I The Honourable Minister for Mines: fine ounces), totalled 842,005.23 fine ounces, and I have the honour to submit for your informa was less than that of the previous year by 8,534.94 tion, a report on the Mining Industry for the year fine ounces (vide Table 1 (a) of Part n. 1955. Similarly, the total gold yield for the year re The estimated value of the mineral output of ported directly to the Department by the producers the state for the year was £9,336,754 (calculating was 834,325.61 fine ounces, which constituted a gold at £4 413. 11.45 per fine ounce), a decrease decrease of 27,666.30 fine ounces in comparison of £916,156 in value compared with the preceding with the previous years figure (vide Table 3 of 12 months. The estimated value of the exchange Part ID. premium paid to gold producers by the Mint, The variation between the two annual totals men amounted to £A9,578,940, added to which, the tioned above is principally due to the fact that overseas gold sales premium of £A19,230 received the gold reported as being received at the Mint and by the Gold Producers' Association Limited from exported for treatment, is not all necessarily pro sales of West Australian Gold from May, 1954, to duced during the calendar year under review, a June, 1955, brought the gross value of all minerals certain quantity being always in the transitory to £A18,934,924, a decrease of £Al,018,741 compared stage from the producer at the end of the year. to that for the record year of 1954, to which it The former total is accepted as the official pro takes second place. duction of the State on account of its realised The estimated value of the gold received at the monetary value, whilst the latter is utilised mainly Perth Branch of the Royal Mint and exported in in tracing the gold back to its source, Le. individual gold-bearing material was £AI3,155,329, but with mine production to which its respective ore tonnage the additional overseas gold sales premium men can be applied. tioned above, totalled £AI3,174,559 (and equalled The calculated average value of ore treated in 69.57 per cent. of the value of all minerals). (See the State as a whole, increased from 22.611 shil footnote to Table 1 (a), Part 11.) lings per ton in 1954 to 24.752 shillings per ton in 1955, calculating gold at the old rate of £4 413. Other minerals realised; Coal, £3,132,074; 11.45 per fine ounce, but the exchange premium asbestos, £502,029; iron-ore (exported), £492,741; rate of 267.84 per cent. would more than treble manganese, £423,830; pyrites, £397,269; iron-ore this estimate. For East Coolgardie Goldfield (pig), £220,558; cupreous ore (fertiliser), £101,731; (which produced 58.61 per cent. of the State's lead ores and concentrates, £95,191; tin, £94,912; gold yield), the calculated average value of the silver, £92,781; talc, £37,767; beryl, £34,430; clays, ore treated decreased slightly from 22.241 shillings £32,693; gypsum, £30,336; tanto/columbite, £25,762; to 21.613 shillings per ton. The estimates for felspar, £16,660; tungsten (scheelite), £7,417; Murchison (Hill 50 G.M.N.LJ, Mt. Margaret (Sons glauconite, £7,407; glass sand, £4,801; red ochre, of Gwalia LtdJ, Coolgardie (New Coolgardie a.M's. £3,913; bentonite, £2,591; copper ore, £1,001; N.LJ, Dundas (Central Norseman Gold Corpora graphite, £990; dolomite, £324; corundum, £275; tion N.L'), and Yilgarn (Great Western Consoli emery, £245; antimony, £230; fergusonite, £226; dated), were 60.51813. (22.70913.); 21.23813. (22.47113.); barytes, £70; spodumene, £57; and fuller's earth, 48.01213. (41.48613.); 50.71713. (44.84513.); and 13.24013. £54. <12.760sJ, respectively. Figures for 1954 being Dividends paid by mining companies amounted shown in parenthesis. to £2,049,121, an increase of £264,228 when com The tonnage of ore reported to have been treated pared with the previous year (see Table 6, Part ID. in 1955; viz. 2,865,048 tons, was 375,330 tons less To the end of 1955, the total amount distributed than the previous year, and constituted 66.75 per by the gold mining companies was £53,574,669. cent. of the State record tonnage established in 1940. To the same date the progressive value of the The following tonnage increases were reported mineral production of the State amounted to from the respective Goldfields-Kimberley 20, Mt. £298,238,954, of which gold accounted for Margaret 7,506, North Coolgardie 4,415, Broad £243,550,338, based on normal value of £4 413. 11.45 Arrow 1,986, East Coolgardie 65,151, and Dundas per fine ounce; but the premium on the sale of 2,377; those fields showing a reduction in tonnage gold during the years 1920-1924, increasing ex being Pilbara 2,815, Ashburton 49, Peak Hill 46,183, change premium from 1930, payments under the East Murchiscn 395, Murchison 380,619, North Gold Bounty Act, 1930, plus additional premiums East Coolgardie 231, Coolgardie 158, and Yilgarn from overseas sales distributed during 1952-1955, 26,360. increase the total value of gold and mineral pro Output of the East Coolgardie Goldfield exceeded duction by £133,069,944, making a gross progres that of the previous year by 65,000 tons, mainly sive value of £A431,308,898. due to the 96,800 ton increase established by North Kalgurli (1912) Ltd. through its acquisition of the GOLD. Croesus Treatment Plant, and by the 6,000 ton The quantity of gold reported as being received improvement of the Great Boulder Pty. Ltd. Apart at the Perth Branch of the Royal Mint (837,913,72 from the Lake View and Star Ltd. which main fine ounces), together with that contained in gold tained its average, the remaining Companies bearing material exported for treatment (4,091.51 slightly receded. 8 Hill 50 Gold Mine's increase of 11,600 tons was Prices have been reasonably good and have been absorbed in the final 380,000 net loss sustained at a level enabling profitable production.