OUR MINERAL RESOURCES.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 12542, 11 July 1906, Page 8

OUR MINERAL RESOURCES.

♦ THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF NEW ZEALAND. INTERVIEW WITH DR. J. 31. BELL. It has frequently been remarked tliat no country can become great whioh does not develop its mineral resource's. There is, therefore, no reason to waste $paco in justifying tho existence in New Zealand of a Government Department for geological survey. A Government which would neglect the investigation of the mineral wealth of its territories would, indeed, be guilty of an act of omission for which it would find it difficult to offer any satisfactory excuse. About a year or so ago. it will be remembered, on the retirement of Sir James Hector, a man whcso scientific services to the colony will long be remembered, it was decided to reorganise the Department of Geological survey on more modern lines, and the work was entrusted to Dr. J. M* Ik.lf, Ph. D., an abie young Canadian e_ie.:_tist, who came to the colony with an excellent reputa tic n frcm Canada, the United States, and tlie Old Country, to fill the position of director cf the Department referred to. Dr. Bell, who has more than justifie-d 'his reputation in tiie eyes ot tho.e who know hi in and have* seen something of Ju_ work, wae in Ciiristchureh yc.terday, and ho very kinelly granted an interview to a reporter of this paper, iv which he communicated some pailicuiais ugai-iui_.g the working of bio department ami mc mineral problem., of the cd.ny. "1 have now been in New Zealand some sixteen months," Dr. Bell said, "and we havo got well under way a systematic and tietailed su.*ve.y ol the colony upon the inei.t modern scientific lines. We are p-Ving particular attention to tbo chiel "ce.Jnoinic features of the work, and iinui!ally aro seeking to assist the mining industry as far as wo are able to <o so. But our survey as more oxh_.-.U-vt_ve than that, and include.- tiie physiographic, petroigr.iph.c, and palneontologic features of tho colony. Ecu* the. purpose of tbe survey wo have divided tine colony into great d_st riots cctr.sponding more or b_s to tlio iand <h_tt__t_, and each of these .is subekvi-cd into quadrangle-, though owing to the general outuno of the country the.se quaclrangles have not all, as a maU.ir of fact, four _kl._. Each of tliietve quadrangles ecu tains a special sc.t of geological problems, which have to be studied, llius, in th_ Ha lira ki quadrangle we 'have the great golufiekl- of the north—at Thanicu, Waihi, and Coromandel. In the. Rotorua quadrangle we havo the hyd.-.hernial phenomena, whilst in the Westland north quadrangle are tho gold-bearing gravels. We still further -übdiv.eie. the quadrangles into sheets or e-.eetions, liko the land survey districts, and thet-o are conveniently, grouped for a yeiar's work, each containing ii specific prcl-km which is fully studied, afler whi_.h a detailed geological sheet is prepared." "To what extent ,has the' detailed geological! survey been carried out bo far?' "In t.he sense in which I. have described a geological survey to you, very littlo has been done. There are whole tracts of totally unexplored country, so that altogether wo have not linioli to help us. But do not suppose that I would for one moment bebttle the work of my predecessors. The old survey plans are very good indeed from a reconnaissance point of view, and wo owe a real debt of gratittr' to tho pioneers in, geological work in New Zealand. All I desire to convey is that the most modern scientific idea of a compilete geological survey requires infinitely more detail work'than waa thought necessary, or than was indeed possible, in the days that are past. Today we examine 'the country in tre-monid-iis detail. Every river, ridge, and spur is followed in tho mest thorough manner, and mapped: in all its detail, and as far as possible no eccnomic feature is allowed to escape, so that the exact economic resources of a district, geologically and mineralcgioally speaking, are knlown:. When the work is completed in any ono district a report or bulletin showing the geological detail and other resources independent of geotlr.gical information is prepared. In this report wo dwell at great length on the economic side of tho work, and carefully peepared maps are included, which can bo Utilised by prospectors." "During tlife past season," Dr. Bell wont on. "detailed work has been done in. the Hokitika section of tho. North Westland quadrangle, in. the Alexantfra section, of the Central Otago quadrangle, in tbo Cape Oolville section of the Hauraki quadraroglo, and in the Witberforce section of the Waim_l.ariri quadrangle. Recrnnarssance surveys of littlo explored territory havo been conducted by myself in the Rotorua quadrangle during the winter, and in the glacial area, of the southern part of the South Westland quadrangle. I shon.d like to state tfliat I am very satisfied with tbe work done by my ass _tnni.s. The men. halve worked exceedingly well.'arid I must say that I, as a comparative stranger in New Zealand, have been helped in my work in every possible way. I cannot too earnestly impre-B upon you the import?.ice and useful nre__ of this work, especially its e-onomio aspects. In Canada and the United States of America they look far more to the economic side of the work than we do here, and this is. a branch which renuires to be dove-Oped and cultiva'ed in New Zealand. Im every country, and here quite as much ns elsewhere, thero are vst trants of country not suit, d for agricultural work, and it is there that we must, seek to develop our mineral res. _tts." ! , •' What. then, dfo yon think of the mineral resources ef New Zealand?'' "Well, ns T have already observed, I have not been in the colony very lonig, and my systematic survey has not advanced far ei-ou.-h yet to* enable mc to sp.-k with scientific precision. But, _ peaking from some considerable 'e.xrer'enco im Cn . . ..., in the United States, and in- England, I will say that 1 am ereatly impressed with the'mineral pot .:ntia'i L i"s ef N'w Zen .md. Of source, everything at prr-s-mt is in the in~'*.e.t stage. One often heirs it .aid of the mineral., of N<*«- Zc.V.nd •bnt they only oecfir in l-itchr s. Well. there are good pcdbilitics in n.nv _-.ti.itrv. hut let mc tell you that there nre bin. .binpis in store hero. In ibr.it throe weeks' time my detailed report on thn> H.kif.ka sheet of the VoH-h West!., .id rnii-....-i-d. m'lJ be .nblished. Tt will.show the resources .f nti area of som. .five bun .r r d square niles from Helrf'ka e.-ctiward pcre<-.s the Alirs. While nor wishing to inticipate anything I may mv in bat report. I may 't .11 " you Kit we have found cone., b'rph'o elepe-dt . f prec.ieni*: green .tone in situ. <. m>nine. rock .nd on.it./ vein*, in rddi. : «n o n*any o'ber in'e.o-t'n:. fe*a*nres. Tlie rork in the oth"r qn .drnnrrle. i.s net lifficien _v .->dv.ne?ed yet to rer*nit of ny giving in*" d-*ta . regirdin . them nt Simil.-trly. e~ yen -will tund. I am not at ir-os'n* in a nrnfion o <-ay what is th. most pro-*-i-.n£ .inern! resource of tho <•■<>!. ny. T''**-. r e seven] v"-v pro .'.-* : ntr resources, ■Ve-tlind is mitiT. ..sod from to south in the mount-in Ht. Tn one r-nrt of tbe ennntrv th" ' lineml bed* c-nt..in« a depo .t of '■ ton >. The cn.intrv is s.td by mv j viend. Mr G. J. Cliief"Su**eyor for We=tland, to contain almost very knewn metal, and ho, perh..ps. -s a better idea of that part of New | lealand than any man I know of. I

am greatly indebted to him for his valuable help there. Tbo North Nelson field, round Parapara and Colliugwood is very promising. There are gnat iron deposits at Parapara. Then tlie re are the go.diie'ds of the Hauraki Peninsula*, where much of the country has so far only been .cratcliod on the -iirf.ie . There is said to bo a good copper-bearing belt near Kaipara and "\\ har,garei. Then thero should be good finds in the unexplored parts of -outhkuid aud Western Otago. I think it probable that we may fiuel there a continuation of the mineral beit of Westland." "Do you think tin occurs here in paying quantities? As you know, the piic. of that metal has risen lately by leaps anil bounds.'' "Yes. 1 know that, but I cannot answer your epte-tion. Tin eloep occur in Stewart Isl in!, and it is said to occur in Westland, but I have not seen any h'-re myself yet, and so I cannot say wh-tber it is to be found in paying , ejuantitie.s or not."' | "And what of petroleum?" |_ "Ah, the binning question of the hour. Woll, I see no reasetn why springs should not occur in Taranaki. : I am informed by Mr Fair, who is iv charge of the boring operations at Moturoa that the* stratum near tbe bottom of the well wl.eto.the petroleum is obtained shows hard, possibly arenaceous, layers and pervious sandy layers. It is geneialiy suppesed now.aeL.vs that , petroleum is the re-iilt of the slow decomposition of the' vegetable matter contained in the strata, and. as a rule. the hyel'focarbons formed, owing to their lightness, rise in a pervious stratum, sur.h as sand-tone, until held back by an impervious stratum, such as clay, shale ,or slate. Apparently they have the [ stratum at New Plymouth which seems ■to be a primal requisite. When thc-so I strata are fob led by movements in the earth's crust, by upfolels and down- : fclels, respectively known as aidic'ines land sine-linos, it is usually found that tho petroleum and hydrocarbons cock the top of the anticlines, further movement upwards Iwing, retarded by the I impervious strata above. When one of I tho-e anticlines is tapped by a bore hole 1 the pervious st latum cf sanels'.one is I reached, and it is not improbable that ! actual cavities occur in tho pervious i stratum containing small reservoirs of i petroleum, or perhaps mo.t of the I petroleum may itself be held in the ! 100., stratum. Very often a great deal ; e.f gas occurs above the liquid petroleum, and when tho stratum i*_ tapped the pressure yropc'.s the potroieum to i tho surface. In part, abo. tho pres- . sure may be due to the water pressure 'in the surrounding strata, as the water :is murb heavier than the hydrocarbon i compound . There new, I have told | you a lej .about petroleum, haven't I, : and all the time I have not been telling | you what you would like to know. But I I wish to" refrain from giving any ox- ' pres.ion of opinion regarding specific ' mineral resources un tl my departmental i reports are given to the public." '"Whit is your opinion regarding Rotorua P" "A mo- facinating place—a vent- ' able wonder'and. R .torua presents a ; series of the most interesting nroblems jof the hydrothcrmic order. Tbo geys.rs, boilintr springs, fumarole-. and expiring volcanoes are most interesting. Ono "fc-turo of espec-al in+erc-t has a ■■..net bearing on'gf'd deposi-i-m, tbe j boiling springs contnining gold and silver in solution in very minute quanI tities. There i* no r.n.on to I suppo?o tint tbe field is becoming extinct because some parts "rtTe le*** active than formerly. Rotorna iis a r>laee of ocmst-nt changes. Thus the T-"-.worn eruntion of twenty years ■ ago, tbe appearance of Wjutth.ti.-_i. 1 govser fifteen years ago, and its dying J out last venr are nil md ; catiens of incessant change. Not long ago there were great extensions of lava on the surface, and that lava bene.nth i. still very hot and is the cause of tbe hydr--v----t hernial phenomena we seje there. If you ask whether Rotorua may bo a potential danger, my renly is that cne never knows what m,ay happen in t*.neh ; are-ion. .but I have not much onin.on of those peoplo who, for the love of sem-ntion and the use of pi.ctur_t.quphrase, talk, about Rotorua being tbe snfety valve of the North Island and what not." '"One hears from time to time a gcod deal about prospecting parties pj-r_iig out in various parts of the colony. Whnt do you think of such parties?" "Well, our work, of course, aims at PR.stinig pro_pectiing as much as pcs _b!e. I do not say that wo are sucoc-pful in finding eveiy vein and deposit of economic, value, but I do say that when our work is completed we. shall havo specified tho areas in whioh prospecting can bo conducted! to advantage. It is not necessary to bo a scientist to eingage in p'respecting, and though, generally speaking, I am strongly opposed to haphazard pra. peeting, I have a great regard for prospecting conducted on reasonable ideas and in a.reas which are likely to give dopes, hs of valuo." There aro many cither questions which tho reporter would have liked to ask Dr. Bell had be dareel to trespa_.fi upon his time any longer. But an hour's conversation forms -a tolerably long interview, and enough has been said to t-ih . w what very valuable work the _ Geological Survey Depart ■* ment it* doing imdor Dr. Belf's control. A knowledge of our economic mineral resources is indispensable to us in these | days cf hard competition in the struggle for national as well as indivi- ! dual existence, unless the ideals of the age are to be foresworn. And, no less | important is it tbat the pu'bMc should be supplied with straight, reliable amd unbiassed information. One feeJs cortain, after a chat with. Dr. Bell, that both tlie on-e dn..id era turn and the other aro certain to be fulfilled, and that the colony is fortunate in having secured the services of so able a soiemtist to direct its geological surveys.