ENG-1961 — Page 142

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PRIMARY PRODUCTION

Societies now possess loan funds adequate to provide virtually all the short-term credit assistance required by their members. Over 45 Fishermen's Co-operative Societies also operate Revolving Loan Funds with a total capital exceeding $440,000 and a turnover of more than $750,000 a year.

Forty four new co-operative societies were registered in 1961, bringing the total on the register at the end of December to 348. At present there are 15 different types of societies. A table showing the number of societies in being at 31st December 1961, with details of their membership, share capital, deposits and reserve funds will be found in Appendix V.

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MINING

Iron ore, tungsten and graphite are mined underground, and kaolin, feldspar and quartz by opencast methods. Iron and kaolin are exported to Japan, wolframite to the United States, and graphite to the United Kingdom, United States, Japan, and other countries. Ceramic and enamelware factories consume all locally produced quartz and about a fifth of the kaolin mined is used in local rubber factories.

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In 1961, most of the iron ore produced at Ma On Shan was mined underground. It was treated in a dressing plant_near

the waterfront with a daily capacity of 800 tons of crude ore, con- centrates being transported by barge to ocean-going ships. A second dressing plant, installed in 1960, treated low-grade ore formerly considered uneconomic. The recovered ore was then finally processed in the main dressing plant. Towards the end of 1961, work began on an access tunnel, which will be almost 8,000 feet long, designed to connect the main dressing plant with future underground workings. This tunnel will serve to transport ore by locomotive haulage.

There was little interest in wolframite as the market price remained low, and only the Needle Hill mine was in production during the year. Prospectors for iron ore, graphite, and kaolin made no discovery of economic importance.

The ownership and control of all minerals is vested in the Crown under the Mining Ordinance, 1954. The Commissioner of Mines is empowered to issue prospecting and mining licences and mining