The Working of Some Particular Mines
In regard to the mining of various kinds of metal, some particular
mines should be taken up by the International Development Organization.
There are many famous mines in China which have been worked for many
centuries by hand, such as the Kochui tin mine in Yunnan, the Moho gold
mine in Heilungkiang, and the Khotan jade mine in Sinkiang. All these
mines are known to have very rich deposits,--the deeper the richer.
Hitherto only the surface parts of those mines have been worked and
the larger deposits are still untouched, owing to the lack of means of
getting rid of the water. Some of the mines are still in the hands of
the Government, while others have been given up to private concerns. If
modern machinery is adopted the mines should revert to the Government
so as to secure economy in working. Many discarded mines of this kind
should be thoroughly investigated, and if found profitable, work should
be resumed under the International Development Scheme. All future
mining, other than government enterprise, should be leased to private
concerns on contract, and when the term is up, the government has the
option to take them over, if found profitable as a state property. Thus
all profitable mines will be socialized in time and the profit will be
equally shared by all the people in the country.