PARA PARA IRON.

Westport Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1218, 9 October 1874, Page 4

PARA PARA IRON.

The Inangahua Herald says: Within a very short space of time Collingwood must become the centre of a thriving mining industry—with it will rest "the honour of being the first iron producing district in the Colony. With practically inexhaustible beds of iron ore and abundance of coal, there only remains to erect furnaces and employ skilled labor to render these resources productive, and this, we are happy to say, is, on the eve of being carried into effect. Mr Walker, who for some time resided in Reefton, and other gentleman associated with him, haye obtained a lease of 640 acres near Collingwood, besides a valuable freehold containing valuable coal and ironstone, and a company entitled the Para Para Iron and Coal Company, has been floated in this Colony and Victoria. Active operations will be commenced forthwith. The New Zealand Government have liberally advanced four miles of rails which will connect the coal mine with the smelting works, the same to be returned in iron ; parcels of the iron ore have been smelted in Melbourne, Dunedin, and Nelson, and found to yield per cent, of metal; the contract for the erection of works is all but let to a Ballarat firm for £27,000 ; the necessary operatives are prepared to start from England on the receipt of telegram, under the leadership of an experienced manager, recommended by the Bairds, the great ironmasters of Gartsharrie, so that within a few months matters will be in a proper train for smelting iron in proper quantities, thus adding to the productive capabilities of the province. As many of our readers are aware the New Zealand Government offer a bonus of £SOOO for the first 1000 tons of marketable pig iron smelted in the Colony, and there is no doubt but that the company referred to will quickly be in a position to obtain this reward. The bay on the shore of which the scene of operations is situated is a harbor almost land-locked, and the iron ore can be thrown into barges lying alongside in deep water without lengthened land transit, and will be thus despatched to the smelting furnaces. Four miles of tramway will connect an excellent seam of coal with the works, so that both iron ore and coal can be transported with great ease and economy.