The Daily Southern Cross.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXIV, Issue 3355, 17 April 1868, Page 2

The Daily Southern Cross.

LUGEO, NON UKO. H I hare been extlnguiihed, yet there riae A .-hoaiand beaconi from tbejipark I bore.

FRIDAY, APRIL 17.

We have already given a short notice of the enterprise which has been undertaken by the Bay of Islands Coal Company, and expressed our belief that the expectations of the shareholders will not be disappointed by the result. This industry is, however, one of so important a character that we do not consider we should be giving it the prominence which it deserves, were we to pass the matter over with the brief mention made in these columns on the 10th inst. The development of these coal mines is a matter of the highest moment, not merely to the shareholders in the new company, but to the colony at large. Apart from the fact that there will be a good supply of superior coal at a cheap rate to the inhabitants of Auckland, it must be borne in mind that the trade in this mineral, which will spring up between this port and the other parts of New Zealand, will be advantageous both to ourselves and the provinces which we supply, and that, as the commencement of an interprovincial trade is the most important step in its development, so from this beginning we may hope some day to see a large and steady trade carried on between the provinces of New Zealand. At present each centre of colonisation is almost independent of the others in matters of commerce, the cattle supply to the West Coast being the only home trade of any magnitude which is carried on. We look forward to the day when certain industries will become localised in New Zealand, and one town will produce cloth, another coal, iron, and their attendant manufactures, a third will be the centre of an agricultural trade, a fourth, of a dairy-farming district, and so on ; when it will become a recognised fact that the exchange of commodities between places each of which devotes itself to the prosecution of one industry, is far more lucrative than to endeavour to develop every industry in each place. Already, to a certain extent, this principle is gaining recognition, and we entertain no doubt whatever that ultimately it will be the most effectual agent in putting to flight those narrow jealousies which have grown up with New Zealand, and which, though at one time necessary for protection, are now only retarding our progress. It is not without reason that in thus arguing we assume that the Kawakawa coal will readily find a market in other parts of New Zealand. Its superior qualities have now been so repeatedly noticed by captains of vessels and others, that we are confident it will shortly become used by most of the steamers visiting New Zealand. It is true that coal seams have been found throughout the colony, and that in some places the coal obtained is of an excellent quality, but this need not cause us any foreboding as to the success of the Auckland enterprise, or make us look with an evil eye upon the opening up of coalfields in other parts of the colony. The demand for coal in these seas is not so small that it can be readily over-supplied, and it is a demand which is always on the increase, and which, as the country takes more and more to those manufacturing industries for which it is by nature so well fitted, will develop itself in an ever-increasing ratio. In the meantime, the Bay of Islands Coal Company are the first a-field with good coal for industrial purposes, the Whangarei coal being of an inferior character, and will probably be able to get up a fair trade with the other ports of New Zealand before any competitor appears. The coal upon the West Coast of New Zealand is being worked by a Melbourne Company, but at present it is only to a very limited extent, and as wq understand that a line will have to be laid down before operations can be undertaken on a large scale, it need not be feared that these coalbeds will at present materially interfere with the market for the Bay of Islands coal. There is no reason why in a short time the Bay of Islands Coal Company should not have a virtual monopoly of the whole coal supply of New Zealand. It is reckoned that with an expenditure of £6,000 the company could raise about 2,000 tons a week, or, in round numbers, 100,000 tons a year. By the time that the other coalfields of New Zealand become productive, the demand will have increased beyond the power of this company to meet it. The average yearly increase since 1860 in the consumption of imported coal has been 20,833 tons, and the average yearly consumption per head, as compared with the European population, has been as follows :—ln: — In 1863, one ton imported coal was consumed by every twenty-two persons ; in 1864, one ton by every twenty persons; in 1865, one ton by every seventeen persons; and in 1866, one ton by every fifteen persons (the returns for 1867 we have not yet seen). These figures cannot of course be taken as absolutely correct, as the annual population set down is only from an estimate : they serve, however, to indicate in some measure the rate at which the home demand for coal may be expected to increase. Supposing we estimate that one person in eleven of the European population will consume a ton of coal during the year 1868, putting the population at two millions, we should obtain a demand of 170,000 tons of coal. This shows pretty clearly that we need be undei no apprehensions lest the market should prove too small. All that is required is to induce people to use New Zealand coal in the place of Australian, and, as the former is both cheaper and better, we do not suppose that it will' need much persuasion to effect this object. As an appendix to our remarks upon this subject, we reprint the following extracts from Dr. Hector's report on the coal deposits of New Zealand :—: — At the Kawakawa river the ooal seam which has been discovered, though of more valuable quality and thicker than that at Whangarei, can only be worked under less advantageous circumstances, as the small altitude above the sea at which the coal is found will make it necessary to have recourse, from* the' commencement of the operations, to shafting and pumping, both of which are obviated in th» case of the Whangarei mine. The coal is, however, so much superior in its heatiog quality, in vnhich. respect it is second to none yetifound in New Zealand, that before long it is cer-

tain to be extensively worked ; and from the struc- ' ture of the country there is reason to believe that it may yet be found in the same district under more favourable conditions for opening a mine, in which case the coal from this Joca ity might be able to competa with that from the West Coast of the Middle Island. From the only locality where the coal has yet been discovered iv this district a tramway of three miles is necess»ry to reach a point on the Kawak&wa Kiver, where there is sufficient draught of water for barges by which the coal might be conveyed down 1 to where vessel can be loaded, but on account of the extremely friable nature of the coal it would be preferable to continue the tramway to this point in older to avoid transhipment. The distance would be nine miles, and on account of the heavy works requisite in some places it would be a very expensive undertaking. Notwithstanding these drawbacks, which may certainly affect the immediate development of this coalfield in the present state of the colony, there is every reason to expect that it will occupy a prominent position among the co»l-pro-ducing districts of New Zealand. A summary of the ino*t important features of the various localities where it has been proposed to work the anhydrous' coals in New Zealand is given in the following tabular form :—: —

The geological age of the Kawakawa coal is identical with that in Walton's mine at Whangarei, and also with coal which I examined at Hikurangi, a locality midway bet ween Whangarei and Kawakawa, and there is every reason to believe that the coalfield is more or less continuous throughout a large district. The coal from these several localities appears t> be of very different qualities, however, and in the case of the seam- at Kawakawa is exceptionally good. From its possessing chemical and physical characters that distinguish it from all other New Zealand coals, we may expect that these peculiarities are in some manner connected with its valuable qualities, and that both are perhaps due to local causes which may have operated over only a limited area. The mineral characters of all the specimens of the coal from the main seam are identical. It is of a brownish black colour, with a marked resinous lustre, and shortness of grain, that at once distinguishes it. Its cleavage in large masses is cuboidal, but can hardly be detected in small fragments, as its structure is almost granular. Ib burns very freely with a rich flame, and most intense heat. It cakes slightly, but when coked does not swell or puff up. The quantity of ash is very small, but that of sulphur large, a portion of it existing in an oxydized form. This is a very marked peculiarity of this coal, considering that it is remarkably free from iron pyrites and the clay matter that might cause the formation of aluminous minerals on exposure to the air. As a steam and forge coal, it appears from the reports of experiments that have been performed to have a very high value, and the only objection to its use for the former purpose will be its extreme friability, as very little handling will convert it into dross. The value of the Kawakawa and Whangarei coal for the purpose of manufacturing gas was tested practically by Mr. J. N. Wark, the manager of the Auckland Gas Works, and the results given in his reports show that, while the Kawakawa, coal yields the largest quantity of gas, viz., 11,660 cubic feet per ton, the yield of the Whangarei coal being only 8,500 cubic feet per ton, the quality of gas is better in the latter case. It will be observed, however, that the Kawakawa coal produces a large per-centage of marketable coke, while the coke of the Wangarei coal is very inferior. ♦

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