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Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Volume 39, Number 24, September 27, 1976.

Muldoon Linked with Consolidated Silver

Muldoon Linked with Consolidated Silver

Consolidated Silver Mining Co. was formed in 1968 with the purpose of exploring the feasibility of the commercial mining of metals including those held in National Parks. It is difficult to work out where the 'silver' bit came from (silver deposites in NZ being negligible), apart from affirming that it is part of some Multi-national mining conglomerate.

OUR PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY CANNOT TOLERATE CONTROLLED NINING OF NATIONAL PARKS ER-EXCEPT OF COURSE DURING MONTHS WITH AN 'R' IN THEM

The plot thickens when, seeking further information, the researcher finds that Consolidated Silver's registered offices (source: 1975 business directory) is c/o Keenan, Mills, Muldoon & Browne - chartered accountants of Auckland.

Between the time of its inception and the instigation of the 1971 Mines Act, Consolidated Silver received several prospecting rights, mainly concerned with the Fiordland Area.

The Company's major find has been the discovery of large deposits of vanadium and iron oxide at Mount George, within the Mt Aspiring National Park.

In January 1972 the Company's technical director, Doug Alexander, writing in 'New Zealand Engineering' said that: "the size and significance of the deposit to New Zealand are hard to overestimate" and that the Company proposed using sophisticated smelting and 'chemical extraction' techniques which would maximize productivity.

The Company's lack of access to the technology needed for such an exercise was apparent, and soon they had solicited the financial support of a powerful Australian ally, Carpentaria Exploration Co. (a subsidiary of Mt Isa Mines) - conditional to the provision that Carpentaria took two thirds of any prospecting titles.