UNDEVELOPED COAL RESOURCES.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 August 1919, Page 6

UNDEVELOPED COAL RESOURCES.

ON THE WEST COAST. Wo have in the Inaiigahua Valley one of the finest coalfields -perhaps the very best—in this country (states Mr. I'. O'Regan). According to Mr. James Park, this vallev contains not less than 100.000,000 tons "of workable coal. Of its quality for domestic purposes there is absolutely no doubt; indeed for years past coal has been sent from Recfton as far south as Hokitika in successful competition with the better-known Grey coal. Save for the small amount consumed locally, however, this splendid field is lying untouched; indeed, it is quite unknown to the rest of New Zealand.

The explanation is that Nature has isolated the Inangahua from the sea const. Walled in by the Brunner range on the eastern side and by the Paparoa range on the western, the only outlet is through the Buller Gorge to Westport, a distanec of 27 miles. The ReeftonWestport railway has been completed from the Reef ton end as far as the junction of the Inangalma with the Buller river, a distance of 21 miles," and about seven miles of the line have been completed at the Westport end. About 20 miles of line still remain to he completed, of which the estimated cost is .-€440,000- All that is required to make the Inangahua field. accessible to Westport is the completion of the 20 miles of line, and I make bold to «ay there is not a more prepsing work in this country. Finish that line and we will immediately open up a new and abundant supply of excellent coal. Nor is this by any means all. About 18 miles south of Westport we have a fine coalfield at Charleston, which, although discovered by the explorers Brunner and Heaphy, as far hack as 1840, is still lying undeveloped. Here, also, is found a very good marketable domestic coal, and all that is required to make it available is to extend the present railway to Cape Foulwind quarries another seven or eight miles. Yes, we have splendid coal resources on the West Coast, and although we cannot make them immediately available to meet the present crisis, we can by a small outlay develop them within the next few years to an extent of which the public have now no conception, and I can see no reason why the price cannot be materially reduced.