The Daily News. TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 1901. DEVELOPING THE MINERAL RESOURCES OF TARANAKI.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXIII, Issue 52, 19 March 1901, Page 2

The Daily News. TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 1901. DEVELOPING THE MINERAL RESOURCES OF TARANAKI.

The action of Mr E. M. Smith in invitieg the electors to meet him, he having deeided to leave for England in connection with the development of our mineral resources, must commend itself to all right thinking people. Thore are ef course many who have no faith in the possibility of doing anything of practical benefit to Taranaki with the irons»nd deposits, but the-e are indications that a move is being made to give the question a thorough trial in conjunction with the coal and lime deposits. There is bo doubt that people with capital behind them, and who cannot bs termed visionary in any sense of the word, are investigating the value of these resources in a manner that seems likely to lead to practical results. It is not necessary for us to mention names, but the fact that the irenaand deposits from Patea t» Mokau, the lime-stone area so the Mokau River, a large porr tion of the coal bearing area and the timber right on the same river have within the last few months, bee/ secured fojr gentlemen, several of whor are well-known and who eojoy thif publio confidence, is, to gay the leasw eminently satisfactory. Jri season arJ out of season, Mr. Smith has work* to bring about the development ff these resource;, and the faot that le has at last succeeded in getting Ifie Government to grant a bonus, and Bis succeeded in inducing the gentlenfbn referred to to interest themselvesfin the Blatter, must go a long way! to reward him for his many years of fersistent efiorb. As an indication offthe market there is in the colony for Iron and steel manufactured, an mtereJjng paper has lately been published, fit is in the form of a Parliamentary return, which was ordered by the louse on Mr. Smith's motion, showing I(1) Quantity of iron nnd steelfcinually imported into New Zealand Br the last five years— f 31st March, 1896 30,500 lons „ 1897 52,075|„ v 1898 65,0811 „ 1899 67,8831 „ ~ 19Q0 .65,669 „ Total - 281V21| tons (2) Imported and used byjGovernment during same period I Iron, 6710 toes *2,033 Steel, 39,182 tons £|81,'498 (3) Railway rails and bridgf, material imported by Government daW same period (included in No. -2)— I Railf*, 37,484 tons 4251,727 Bridge material, 1542 tonsf£l5 1 079 The above return showjj that there is money in the iron and i\L] industry and that tho estabiishmer* 0 f works ' for their manufacture woull be of great j value to Taranaki, Of th# i mei } etc., we need not speak, as f|l are agreed i that there is a great f uturefbefore tfoj&m. ' Mr Smith will doubtless eiplain at his ' meeting his connection /with those [ triune missson home is th*3 e velopment t i>f these valuable assets, l D d we trust bis constituents will bur)l an y political feeling and send him Horfe feeling that ' io has the bast wishes on every one for ;he success of the undeli a king he has I io muoh at heart. I f