| Administrative History | British Exploration of Australasia, Ltd. was registered as a limited company in December 1900 and went into voluntary liquidation in June 1909. P.L. Gell was chairman of the board of directors throughout this period. He resigned in protest at the liquidation of the company and its proposed reconstruction.
The objects of the company were the exploitation of certain mineral deposits in north-western Australia which were part of its assess on formation, the acquisition of further mineral deposits and the formation of subsidiary companies to exploit these deposits where such a course was financially advantageous.
The properties owned by the company on its formation were situated in the Pilbarra (now Pilbara) and the West Pilbarra Goldfields. They consisted of conglomerate reefs at Nullagine, the Chamberlain and the Baden-Powell groups of leases at Warrawoona, the Roberts group at Marble Bar, tin claims near Marble Bar and the Croydon Copper Mine near Balla-Balla.
In 1902 the company made further purchases of claims at Nullagine and a half-share in the Gauntlet Mine in the Baden-Powell group. It also received a considerable interest in the Lalla Rookh Mine, situated between Port Hedland and Marble Bar.
In 1904 and 1905 the company bought a half-share in prospectors' rights for asbestos in the Pilbarra Goldfield and 1,000 acres suitable for exploitation as an asbestos mine near Lalla Rookh.
The only subsidiary company floated by British Exploration of Australasia, Ltd., was the Pilbarra Asbestos Company Ltd. which was formed in 1907 and went into voluntary liquidation in May 1912. P.L. Gell was on the board of directors of this company. His papers relating to its administration have survived and are described elsewhere.
The company was administered in London, its secretary being H.W. Beavis (later Messrs. Beavis & Gell) of Austin Friars. Its managing director A.E. Morgans had his home and office in Perth (W. Australia) and the company employed a representative, later called general manager, in the north-west with an office and stores at Port Hedland. For some years, the company acted as agent for Messrs. Nobel's explosives in the north-west.
The correspondence and papers in this group cover all aspects of the company's administration and direction. P.L. Gell was an active chairman, in close contact with the chief executive, A.E. Morgans, in Perth. His cousin, C.A. Gell, was for some time a partner of H.W. Beavis and kept P.L. Gell well informed of the day-to-day affairs of the firm. Although the papers are extensive, they do not include copies of the minutes of directors' meetings, nor is the set of regular letters to the secretary sent by A.E. Morgans complete.
The success or failure of the company hinged on the construction of a railway from Port Hedland towards its claims in the Pilbarra. Until this was completed, it was impossible to exploit the mines to their full capacity as other forms of transport, both for bringing in heavy equipment and for taking out the material extracted, were inadequate. The company was formed in the expectation that a railway would be sanctioned by the Western Australian government in the near future. The company's hopes were not fulfilled until the beginning of 1909 when the first steps towards construction were taken. By this time, the company's capital had run out and it was forced into liquidation before it had an opportunity to prove the mineral wealth that it claimed existed in the area. |