RESEARCH DOUBTS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 212, 8 September 1938, Page 12

RESEARCH DOUBTS.

OUR COAL RESERVES.

POSITION IN WESTLAND.

NEED TO MINE STONY SEAMS.

(By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.)

WELLINGTON, this da v.

Reference to the fact that New Zealand has relatively little high-rank coal is made in the annual report of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research in a pjer on the extent and richness of the (Jreymouth coalfield.

The late Mr. P. C. Morgan is quoted us stating, in 1911, in a paper dealing with the geology of the Greymouth subdivision, North YVestland, that too much c-mpliasis could not be placed on the question of utilising the coal resources of the Dominion. Already, at that time, lie claimed, much waste had occurred iii almost every coalfield of the Dominion. Ihe supplies of liigh-<?lass coal were e(.unewhat limited and therefore their conservation was a matter of the greatest national importance.

lie estimated that the amount of coal in the Grey coalfield was 030,000,000 ton*>, less 0,000,000 already mined. Of this great tonnage, however, a large proportion could hardly be considered as v orkable at a profit under any economic condition ever likev to prevail. If the conditions of liw day continued in all icspects he did not consider that even one tenth of the coal would ever be extracted.

His contentions have been borne out in the main and it is considered that the coal-mining industry on the Grey lipid would appear to be at, or rapidly approaching, a critical stage in its history. This is due not only to an impending exhaustion of the readily mineable coal, measureable within a couple of decades at most, but also to the scarcity of coal seams workable under existing economic conditions.

The resources of the Grey field, therefore, should be conserved, and how this may be best accomplished can be determined only "after an exhaustive investiof the whole field entailing an extensive boring programme. Two avenues suggest themselves. One is that the field should be developed as a unit; the other is that the possibility of mining stony seams, and of subsequently extracting the stone and washing the coal, should be investigated. It is imperative at some future date, it is pointed out, if we are to rely on our bituminous coal resources for domestic consumption, to work seams containing stone and dirt bands. Though the time has now arrived, the economy of doing this is one that will present difficulties peculiar to' New Zealand.