The
second largest mining company is the Cia. Minas de Passagem in the city
of the same name in the state of Minas Gerais. It employs 2,000 miners
and works with a capital of 2,900 contos. The output of this mine,
which for an interval was showing increased production, declined
perceptibly in recent years and in 1940 amounted to 405 kilos or 9% of the total.
The
third largest company, the Cia. Minas de Timbotuva of the state of
Paraná, operates in the Campo Largo district and has installed
equipment which is capable of treating 150 tons of ore daily. Smaller
installations of the company are situated in Curitiba. In 1940, this
company produced 142 kilos or 3% of the domestic mined gold output.
The
other primary deposits which are being worked at present are those at
Santa Barbara, Cuiabá, Caeté and Mariana in the state of Minas Gerais.
According to some reports there is the mining of gold in the state of
Rio Grande do Sul at the municipality of Lavras.
As
was mentioned, all gold produced in Brazil must be sold to the Bank of
Brazil and as such, their purchases furnish a partial index to the
output within the country. It must be noted however, that there is a
portion of old gold included in these purchases, this in 1935 being as
much as 3,200 kilograms but which in recent years has diminished to
about 500 kilograms. Included also are the purchases from overseas
which in 1939 totalled 1,167 kilograms and in 1940 amounted to 1,712
kilos., (Table 4).
GOLD
