GOLDEN BAY DEPOSITS

Evening Star, Issue 22989, 21 June 1938, Page 3

GOLDEN BAY DEPOSITS

MINISTER'S VISIT TO ONEKAKA REASONABLY HAPPY ABOUT PROSPECTS [Per United Press Association.] NELSON, June 20. For the purpose of making a personal inspection of the investigatory surveys in connection with the iron, coal, and limestone deposits in Golden Bay the Minister of Industries and Commerce (Hon. D. G. Sullivan) has been in the Onekaka district since Friday, being accompanied-by Dr Henderson, a geologist, and Mr W. Bromley, of the Employment Department. The Minister made a comprehensive tour, which included an inspection of every area of ore and limestone deposits where tunnelling work is in progress. He also visited the Mount Burnett and Puponga coal mines. Interviewed before leaving for Christchurch, Mr Sullivan said his department was paying the same careful attention to the limestone and coal deposits as it was to the iron ore with a view to gaining definite knowledge whether the materials were there, and to what extent. At the present time 70 men were employed tunnelling at each block of iron deposits He had seen the -results to date, but the materials would be subject to assay in Wei lington. The prospecting, work under taken was comprehensive and would deal with ererv phase of the project. Reports giving the conclusions of the experts now at work would be placed before the department as soon as possible, the Minister said, but. of course, it was too early to make any prediction on the nature, of those reports. The Minister, however, expressed himself as being reasonably happy about the prospects.