PARLIAMENTARY.

Kumara Times, Issue 2770, 7 August 1885, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY.

STATEMENT OF THE MINISTER OF MINES. Mr Larnach in moving the Mines Act Amendment Bill read a statement of which the following is a summary : In my travels over the West Coast and portion of Colling wood and Nelson districts, I found timber plentiful and good for all mining and building purposes. In the greater portion of the mining districts in Otago, excepting in the Lake country, native timber is wanting and can only be procured from long distances at large expense. In Southland the mines are better favored in this respect, and good timber can readily be obtained from the lai'ge forests that abound. The northern mines have abundance of timber surrounding them, and from the experience I have gained I came to the conclusion that many of the old mines of Otago would pay handsomely for deep levels and sinking, could they claim the same natural advantages of timber on the spot to aid in the enterprise. To assist the mining industry to progress at a more rapid pace, an increase of waterpower in many districts is absolutely necessary. Whether any efforts should be made to obtain it, and if so in what manner, will be for the House to consider and determine. To further the great object of the discovery of new gold-fields, tracks and roads will have

to be made, particularly through lands that are densely wooded, like the West Coast districts of the Middle Island, and Coromandel, and the Thames in the North, otherwise prospecting cannot go on systematically and advantageously. The magnitude and variety of our mineral resources, and the manner in which they are miscellaneously distributed throughout the colony is a sufficient reason for believing that New Zaaland must become a great mining country. Although the colony is yet in its infancy compared to Australia and Tasmania, we have already extracted from below the earth’s surface equal to 10,616,196 ounces of gold of the value of £41,634,507 sterling which we had exported previous to the 31st March last, together with 447,924 ounces of silver of the value of £115,144, six tons of silver ore worth £9OO, 75 tons of copper ore £1,300, 37 tons of copper £ll7O, 123 tons of antimony £2340, 11,421, tons of manganese £41,386, 13 tons of zinc £259, 18 tons of sulphur £IOB, 12 tons of hematite £l2, 7888 tons of other minerals not specified £33,025, and 61,520 tons of coal £51,043, the total number of tons being valued at £247,587, making a total value at the end of the financial vear of mineral exports of £41,882,094, and this is only a tittle of onr mineral wedth, for all practical purposes a mere sample of

wliat in the future may he done. We should keep before us the fact that the industrial aspect of the district may be entirely changed by the discovery of a new ore, and lessening the cost of producing any valuable minerals by a small figure per ton may increase its application in manifold ways.