The discovery of this mineral
in the province would immediately give to it, within itself, the means of
the most unbounded wealth, and would undoubtedly fill up the measure of
its prosperity to the brim.
By a late report of the Directors of the Burra Burra mine, it would
appear, that they had made several successful attempts to smelt the ore,
but, that the cost, having exceeded that of cartage to the port, and
freight, the process has been abandoned. Parties, however, had offered to
enter into an engagement to smelt the whole of the ore from the mine at
about Swansea prices; notwithstanding the unfavourable circumstances
under which such smelting would necessarily be carried on.
As I understand the nature of this arrangement, the ore will be smelted
at the mine, and the remuneration to the smelter will be between fifty
and sixty shillings per ton perhaps, by way of "return charges," or we
will say between sixty and seventy shillings, which is a sum exactly
equal to the cartage of the ore to the port. If then the Directors
abandoned their intentions, because they found they could not smelt at so
low a sum as the price of cartage and freight, how will the contractor
make it pay under more unfavourable circumstances? No doubt, if he should
find it remunerative, the shareholders of the Burra Burra would find it
still more so, and it would be the interest of the proprietors of the
larger mines to enter into similar engagements; but, on a due
consideration of this important subject, I am led to believe that to make
smelting works successful in South Australia, Companies must purchase the
ore, and carry it off to localities suitable for the operation.
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