TARANAKI COALFIELD.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 March 1919, Page 5

TARANAKI COALFIELD.

■(By D.J.H.) Much lias been hoped for in regard to Taranaki mineral potentialities. We have had hopes of oil and ironsand, and now we have coal. Needless to say, oil is somewhere, but it has yet to be found in payable quantities. Ironsand is here but has a few obstacles hindering it being made a payable commercial proposition, one of its drawbacks being a constant coal supply. There it lies with the people of the whole of Taranaki to see that this obstacle is overcome. How can this bo done? readers will ask. Why, by developing our local coal field, which lies in illimitable quantities in the Ohura district. TheTe is now on foot a proposal to establish a Provincial Taranaki Coal Company. No private company, mind you, to grind its profits out of the people, but a company to belong to the people, and it is up to us to supply the wants of consumers with it. L, understand a few tons are to be sent to different parts of the province for trial purposes. An exhaustive trial has already been held with this coal for steaming purposes, and it holds its own with Westport and Newcastle. For household purposes it has been in use a good while in the Ohura district, and fills the bill. The pushing on of the railway to Ohura will have to be hastened, and this can be expected immediately after the next general election, because fossilised ways of the past Government department will have to go. It is to be hoped the gas companies will carefully try this coal for,its quality in regard to tar for roads; also all dairy companies who are intending to go in for sugar of milk and other by-products. Enormous quantities of coal will be wanted in Taranaki in the near future. From what I havo been told by those on the spot there is a great future in store for Taranaki coal and its users.