Committee Reports > List of Committees > Dáil > 1936 > Select Committee on Mining Rights > Interim and Final Report - Demise of Certain Mining Rights

APPENDIX III.

NOTIFICATION BY THE LESSEES TO THE MINISTER FOR INDUSTRY AND COMMERCE OF THEIR AGREEMENT FOR A SUB-LEASE.

Tigh Laighean,

(Leinster House),

Baile Atha Cliath

(Dublin),

25th April, 1935.

The Secretary,

Ministry for Industry and Commerce,

Lord Edward Street,

Dublin.

Dear Sir,

With reference to the application for mining lease or take note in respect of various townlands in the County, of Wicklow in the watershed of Avoca, Aughrim, Ow, McReddin and Goldmine rivers, we beg to state as follows:—

When we got a lease from the Minister for the three townlands at the junction of the Lyre and Goldmine rivers and along their banks, we made a thorough investigation of their mineral deposits and as a result we discovered that there is in these three townlands a very big deposit of auriferous gravel.

Some time ago a mining engineer—a Mr. Heiser, who was represented to us as a gentleman of great experience—made us an offer on behalf of a Company called Risberget, and after certain modifications in the offer we accepted it, and we now beg to send you copy of the said Agreement comprised in said offer and acceptance. This Agreement provides that Risberget should form a Company with the minimum capital of £80,000 for the working of these deposits.

Mr. Heiser brought the Agreement to London and returned last week with a mining engineer named Mr. Dunne, who was represented to us by Mr. Heiser as a gentleman who had been sent over at a fee of One Thousand Guineas to examine the deposits.

On Friday last Mr. Heiser, Mr. Dunne and Mr. Noonan went down to the leasehold and panned some gravel; we arrived later in the day, and in an interview between Mr. Heiser, Mr. Noonan, Mr. Breen, Mr. Seán Hayes and ourselves, Mr. Heiser requested us to alter the Agreement by making it appear that he was acting, not for Risberget but for some other combination which he named The Crusade Prospectors, and he said that he had not intended to sign as Managing Director of Risberget. We refused to allow any alteration of the Agreement.

Mr. Heiser thereupon proposed to us that we should join with him in a syndicate for the purpose of acquiring leasehold interest in various mining areas. We refused to consider this proposition. Mr. Heiser then requested us to point out where the deposits of gold were to be found in our leasehold property. We went with him, Mr. Dunne, Mr. Noonan, Mr. Breen and Mr. Hayes to the junction of the Lyre and Goldmine rivers and there, at points chosen by Mr. Dunne, pans of gravel were taken and washed. In some of the pans was found five or six pieces of gold. This panning shewed clearly that gold can be worked in the particular area at a profit, and we expect the results will be such that mining leases will be applied for in other areas, not so much for the purpose of working the deposits as for getting money from the public through the formation of Companies.

It was indeed suggested to us that working for gold at the junction of the Lyre and Goldmine rivers would make every other area in the district saleable. When we refused to be parties to the alteration of our Agreement, and showed to those mining engineers where gold was to be found in quantity we anticipated that applications would be made for mining leases in the neighbourhood, and our purpose in making this application is to prospect the area with the object of working it and to deal fairly with Risberget and the Company which is to put a capital of £80,000 into the working of gold in the district.

Mr. Dunne actually stated to us that the three townlands, together with the other six of our original application, should be of sufficient size to give the working for gold a proper test. We, therefore, while we are applying for other areas, want to make it clear that the favourable consideration of our present application for a lease as distinct from a licence to prospect should depend upon our making a success of the leasehold which we have already obtained.

You will notice that in our Agreement every operative clause makes provision for the sanction of the Minister to be obtained before any step is taken; our primary object being the protection of the people who might be asked to subscribe in this country and to secure that the deposits will be worked rather than used for the purpose of exploitation.

The reason we said in our Agreement “a licence for their Company is to be obtained from the Minister” is because we felt this speculative class of venture should rather be subscribed for abroad than by our own people.

(Signed) MICHAEL COMYN.

ROBERT BRISCOE.