DOMINION MINING PROSPECTS

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22081, 1 May 1937, Page 14

DOMINION MINING PROSPECTS

MINISTER'S OPTIMISM

"TWENTY BIG DREDGES WITHIN TWO YEARS"

"The wild-cat element in New Zealand mining ventures seems to be giving way, to more systematic and thorough prospecting, and I hope in the near future that mining in the Dominion will be looked upon as an investment more than a sheer, blind stab in the dark," said the Minister for Mines (the Hon. P. C. Webb) yesterday, in announcing that he expected within two years to have at least 20 big dredges operating on ground that had been very thoroughly tested. The prospects from gold mining, especially dredging, were very bright, added the Minister. The coal-mining industry in the Dominion had on the whole been brisker this year than for many years, added the Minister. Production was increasing, and in the Waikato it was difficult for most of the mines to comply with the orders received. Unfortunately, a considerable amount of slack time had been worked because of the inability of some of the North Island mines to get sufficient rolling-stock. The Railway Department was doing its utmost to facilitate the construction of more rolling-stock, but it had been considerably hampered because of the difficulty of obtaining sufficient supplies of iron from Great Britain. The West Coast mines had also suffered to some extent from the same cause, and 'shipping had been hampered by the bar conditions, at Westport and Greymouth. The Minister said that had it not been for the above circumstances, most of the mines would have teen working at very high pressure during the last few months. The prospects for the industry were good.