BULLER COAL.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18183, 20 September 1924, Page 5

BULLER COAL.

danger of fire.

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EIjLTXGTOX, September 19,

While the House of Representatives was considering (he Mines Department 's Estimates this afternoon, Mr 11. L. Holland (Bullcr) mentioned that in the Buller Gorgo a timber area of 400 acres wag being surveyed. Of this 200 aeres overlapped a coal area of 164 acres. There would be grave danger of tlio coul being set on fire by reason of the handling of the timber. After the bash had been worked there' would be dead timber, and if it caught tire there were outcrops of coal that would also enteh fire, so that the whole of the coal in the Gorge would be in danger. Two cases of fire in the Gorge had already occurred owing to the taking of timber off three aere3. The coal had been twice on fire, and but for the fact that there was a supply of water available it could not have been put out. Constant fires in the locality had increased the area of bush destroyed from three to 2o acres, so that now over this area there was a mass of fern and de-id timber that only wanted a match set to it to cause ft serious fire. There would be no chance of getting a flow of water to the coal there. A lire might mean the loss of millions of tons of coal to the Dominion. They hud the example before them of the seam at Ngakawa which was constantly burning. He urged the Minister to obtain a report in regard to the danger in the Bullcr Gorge. Tho Hon. G. J. Anderson, in Teply, said he had not heard that the Forestry Department was letting areas on large coal rights. He recognised the danger there was from fire under such circumstances. It would be a national calamity if tho coal area in the Buller Gorge was set on fire. Some time ago the Government set a proclamation over the coal areas that were left., so that they would be available for State pur poses when the railway was put through. __________