14 feet. The chief fields are at Cunnamulla, Paroo, and Opalton, in the far western and north-western parts of the State, but the scanty water supply has been a great barrier to the progress of the industry. During 1901 the production was valued at £7,400, and there were 293 men on the fields, although in most cases they only worked in time spared from other occupations. Other gem-stones, including the sapphire, emerald, oriental emerald, ruby, opal, amethyst, garnet, chrysolite, topaz, cairngorm, onyx, zircon, etc., have been found in the gold and tin-bearing drifts and river gravels in numerous localities throughout the states. The Emerald Proprietary Company, in the Emmaville district, near Glen Innes, New South Wales, have sunk two shafts, 100 feet and 50 feet respectively; and 25,000 carats have been won in a rough state. Their value when cut and finished, if of the best quality, is about £2 per carat. Owing to the difficulties of extraction, and the low price of the gems in the London market, the mines were closed for three years. In 1897 they were again opened up, and, although worked for some time during 1898, they are now closed, the company having obtained a suspension of the labour conditions. No gems were produced during the year. The sapphire is found in all the States, and considerable attention has lately been directed to the sapphire fields of Anakie, in Queensland. During 1901 the Assistant Government Geologist inspected the locality, and his report indicates that the field is a large one, and the extent of sapphire wash second to none in the world. The gems are of a peculiar colour, quite distinct from those of any other country, and this seems to have slightly prejudiced their value. The value of the production of sapphires in Queensland during 1901 was estimated at £6,000. The oriental topaz has been found in New South Wales. Oriental amethysts also have been found in that State; and the ruby has been found in Queensland, as well as in New South Wales. According to an authority on the subject of gemstones, rubies, oriental amethysts, emeralds, and topaz have been chiefly obtained from alluvial deposits, but have rarely been met with in a matrix from which it would pay to extract them. Turquoises have been found near Wangaratta, in Victoria. Chrysoberyls have been found in New South Wales; spinel rubies, in New South Wales and Victoria; white topaz, in all the states; and yellow topaz, in Tasmania. Chalcedony, carnelian, onyx, and cat's-eye are found in New South Wales; and it is probable that they are also to be met with in the other states, particularly in Queensland. Zircon, tourmaline, garnet, and other gemstones of little commercial value are found throughout Australasia. In South Australia some very fine specimens of garnet were found, causing some excitement at the time, as the gems were mistaken for rubies. The stones were submitted to the examination of experts, whose reports disclosed the true nature of the gems, and dispelled the hopes of those who had invested in the supposed ruby-mines of South Australia. PRODUCTION OF MINERALS. The foregoing pages show that Australasia possesses invaluable mineral resources, and although enormous quantities of minerals of all kinds have been won since their first discovery, yet the deposits, with the exception perhaps of gold, silver, and coal have only reached the first period of their exploitation. The development of the deposits of various other minerals has not reached a sufficiently advanced stage to enable an exact opinion to be expressed regarding their commercial value, though it is confidently held by mining experts that this must be enormous. The mineral production of the various states in 1901 will be found below: The total value of the minerals raised in Australasia during 1901 was £24,972,007, being £114,198 in excess of the value for 1899, which had hitherto been the highest. The great advance of gold-mining in Western Australia and the increased activity displayed in coal-mining in New South Wales were the chief contributing factors to this desirable result. Gold has always constituted the largest proportion of the value raised, but the search for this mineral has led to the expansion of other branches of the mining industry which are commanding more attention each year. At the present time the number of persons in Australasia who gain their livelihood by mining is greater than at any previous period. The total employment in each branch of mining during 1901 The greatest number of persons engaged in mining is in New South Wales, where, owing to the large employment afforded by the coalmines, the total is 36,615; the greatest number of gold-miners is in Victoria. The total number of persons in the Commonwealth engaged in mining pursuits is 113,462, and in view of the known resources which await development, this number is likely to be still further increased. The following table shows the value of the mineral production of each state during the four years 1871, 1881, 1891 and 1901, as well as the value per inhabitant for the whole of Australasia :— The foregoing table shows that the mineral production of 1901 was over eleven millions more than that of 1891. There were increases in all the states with the exception of New South Wales, in which state a decrease of slightly over £542,000 has to be recorded, owing to the fall in the value of silver and lead. The most notable increases were in Western Australia and Tasmania; the production of the former state exceeded that of 1891 by nearly £7,316,000, mainly on account of the great increase in the gold yield, which advanced in value from £115,182 to £7,235,653 during the period under review. The large increase in the Tasmanian production was due to the output of the Mount Lyell Coppermines. In the other states, the increases were also substantial, ranging from 42 per cent. in Victoria to 68 per cent. in South Australia. Comparing the value of the mineral production in 1901 with the population, the largest amount is shown by Western Australia, with £39 14s. 2d. per inhabitant; Tasmania ranks second, with £9 13s. Od. per inhabitant; Queensland third, with £6 3s. 6d. ; New South Wales fourth, with £4 5s. 4d.; and New Zealand fifth, with £3 15s. 11d. Victoria follows with an average of £2 15s. 1d. per head, and in South Australia the production per inhabitant was only £1 13s. 10d. The average per inhabitant for Australasia was £5 9s. Od., and the average for the states constituting the Commonwealth was £5 15s. 9d. per head. The following table shows the value of production in each of the states during 1901, distinguishing the principal minerals. With regard to some of the states the data are defective in respect to "other minerals," but not to such an extent as to seriously affect the gross total. The column "other minerals" includes kerosene shale in New South Wales and kauri gum in New Zealand :: The total mineral production to the end of 1901 is shown in the following table, in which the column "other minerals” again includes kerosene shale and kauri gum :— 49,661,815 32,341,577 5,857,073 6,601,806 39,494,844 4,299,947 138,257,062 715,498 1,042,358 346,031 263,656,022 £ £ £ £ New South Wales Victoria 260,489,201 Queensland South Australia. 52,751,675 856,539 206,395 4,693,866 118,630 22,822,046 30,149,712 11,453 326,972 Western Australia. 2,821,989 320,410 63,625,674 32,680 509,542 25,871,095 198,199 150,972 414,534 31,251,842 19,258,660 Commonwealth.. 400,334,188 36,501,127 35,383,673 19,518,343 43,955,628 6,227,396 541,920,355 New Zealand Australasia 4,893,588 2,384,886 3,921,495 7,276,294 445,465 336,932 ...... 59,159,883 380,806 18,088 * Inclusive of kauri gum of the value of £10,775,945. Coal was the only mineral raised in New South Wales prior to 1852, and its production up to that date was valued at £279,923. Deducting that amount from the total value of Australasian minerals raised up to the end of 1901, the remainder, £620,594,323, represents the value of mineral production from 1852, equal to an average of £12,411,886 per annum for the fifty years. |
