COAL WAITING.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 February 1921, Page 11

COAL WAITING.

seventy Million tons in sight. During his visit to the West Coast, the Prime Minister (Mr. Massey) paid a visit to the Buller Gorge coalfield, and saw something o-f the abundant coal measures- that are awaiting development in that locality. Geologists esti-, mate that 70,000,000 tons of coal of first-class quality are in sight, most of it in thick seams that outcrop above the river. Very little development work is required, and the seams lend themselves to mining by co-operative parties. Co-operative mining offers a method of solving some of the industrial problems connected with the mining industry. Speaking to a Dominion reporter, the Prime Minister said his inspection had convinced him that the Westport-Inangahua line, which will give access to the Buller Gorge coal, ought to be built. The total length of the line was thirty miles, and of this about fourteen miles, comprising the most difficult part, had been virtually completed. The bridges were up, the tunnels had been bored, and the sleepers were laid. Sixteen miles of line remained to be built. The completed line would go right through the coalfield, and would actually touch some of the coal seams. The coal was of particularly good quality. Mr. Massey went into one mine, where he saw men working in a seam of coal 27 feet thick. Many other seams were outcropping in the neighbourhood, and if railway access were provided, men would be willing to form co-opera-tive parties and get the coal out. He agreed that this sort of fanning ought to be encouraged. Mr. Maasey added that after visiting the Coast, and meeting many of the miners, he had an idea that there was an improvement in the industrial situation as far as mining was concerned.