New Zealand Mail. PUBLISHED WEEKLY. SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 1878.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 311, 6 April 1878, Page 12

New Zealand Mail. PUBLISHED WEEKLY. SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 1878.

Gold has been represented as a great colonizer, and in no park of the world haa the truth of this been more fully born© out than in the Australian colonies. The discovery of the precious metal in large quantities in Victoria and New South Wales had a marvellous effect upon all branches of industry, and advanced the material development of the colonies a century. We are all aware what the goldfields have done for New Zealand. In ten years after the discovery of gold in Otago the population and revenue of the colony had nearly quadi’upled. But great as has been the effect of the/"^’*

fields upon (.lie development of this colony, in the future we feel sure that our gold mines will be of secondary importance to our coal mines. Few people have an adequate idea of the extent of the coalfields of New Zealand. Now and again we hear of a company being formed to work a coal mine in a particular distric, but the matter is generally looked upon as one more of a local than colonial concern. However, this is a very narrow view to take of it. Every year we pay hundreds of thousands of pounds for coal supplied from New South Wales, and a halfpenny of this money need not leave the colony if proper facilities were pi’ovided for the cheap and rapid transit of the coal from our own to the principal ports of the colony. In one district of New Zealand there is a supply of coal sufficient to last for centuries at the present rate of consumption. We have now before us three volumes, entitled “ lieports of Geological Explorations During 1876-7,” and they show that the work carried on by the Gelogical Department during the year has not been barren of results. We regard the coalfields explorations as by far the most important of the branches to which the scientific men of the colony have devoted their attention. Most of the information supplied is of too technical a character for reproduction in these columns. However, Dr. Hector gives a brief summary of the leading points of interest in connection with the various mines which have been examined and of the country explored during the past year. He deals with the mines in geographical order, commencing with the Kawakawa coal mines, to the north of Auckland. The above mine, it is well known, has been in operation for years, and the coal is extensively used for steam purposes. The seam varies in thickness from six to ten feet. There are several other coal mines to the north of Auckland, but as yet they have only been worked in a limited manner. The Waikato is rich in coal areas. At the Bridgewater Colliery, in that district, a seam of coal 55ft. thick has been struck in the main shaft. In association with these coal seams, three valuable bands of ironstone have been discovered, yielding about forty per cent, of metallic iron. The report states that a careful examination of the coal formation in the Waikato District, and the relation which it bears to the overlying strata, renders it not improbable that a coal seam extends continuously throughout the greater part of the country between Mei'cer and Taupiri, and from the Firth of Thames to Taupiri, and thence to Ngaruawahia. The report on the coalfields of the West Coast of the Middle Island will no doubt be the most interesting to Wellington people, as a considerable amount of capital has been invested in this city for the development of the coalfields in that part of the colony. Mr. Denniston has surveyed the coal area between Westport and the Ngakawau, and he calculates that there are 105,034,000 tons of workable coal in that district alone. The report states that up to the present time the only mine which is in active operation is that of the Wellington Coal Mining Company, from which mine the first shipload of coal has been despatched to this city. The coal is described as soft, but otherwise its quality is all that can be desired for a good steam coal, and the coke which is made from it is inferior to none. Several other companies have been formed to work the coalminesinthesame district, but up to the present time no actual operations have been undertaken, save that the Koranui Company have had a survey made for them, with the view of discovering the best route for a tramway, and another tramway has been laid out by Messrs. Fisher and Co. to the face of their coal, to connect with the branch line of the Wellington Company. The Grey Biver coalfields have been the most successfully and extensively worked of any in the colony. The Brunner mine during the last four years has supplied within a trifle of fifty thousand tons. There are several other mines in tlie same locality, the coal from which is described as of very superior quality. There are five collieries at work at Green Island, Otago; and although extensive operations are being carried on at each of them, up to the were visited by a Government geologist not one of them was in possession of a plan of their workings. This inattention on the part of the proprietors of the collieries to the safety of the miners is most reprehensible, and in Dr. Hector’s opinion requires some rules to be made which shall compel proper attention to the interests of the colony in the obtaining of all coal available and protection against accidents. In the case of one colliery a l’ailway passes over an -area of partially wrought ground, the coal being at a depth of about 126 ft. below the surface. On this point Dr. Hf.ctor says that it is necessary to draw the attention of the Government to the danger of mishap to the line, owing to the settling down of the formation when the coal is worked out. The report states that the thickness of the seam throughout the district is about 18ft., but owing to the soft nature of the roof and floor, it has

been the practise to work only 6ft. out of the centre of the seam. By this extravagant system two-thirds of the coal has to be left, but it seems probable that it is the one which is best adapted for the district, as any other system would require extensive timbering—an item of no small cost in that part of Otago. To show the extent of the coalfields of Otago it will only be necessary to mention that one coal area extends over forty square miles and is estimated to contain one hundred million tons. The coalfields of New Zealand have assumed such importance that it will be necessary for the Legislature to pass some measures regulating their working. At present operations, particularly in Otago, are carried on by rule of thumb, without any proper regard being paid to the lives of the miners or to the future working of the mine. On this subject Dr. Hector makes the following general remarks The present knowledge concerning the coalfields of New Zealand proves that good workable seams of coal occur at all the localities where mines have been opened up, and that a great extent of coal measures yet exist which have never up to the present time had any work expended on them. There is no doubt that in the future these deposits of coal will prove of great value to the colony, but the work which has already been undertaken shows how necessary it is that all mines which are opened up should be placed under the direct supervision of the Government, to ensure proper attention being paid to the ultimate safety of the mines and the maximum yield of coal.”