DEVELOPMENT OF WESTPORT

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 May 1906, Page 4

DEVELOPMENT OF WESTPORT

EXPLOITING THE COAL FIELDS. THE PORT SCHEME. The scheme which was placed before the Government by a Westport deputation on Monday for the improvement of (lie port at the mouth of the Puller river, is prompted hy the prospeets o feonsidernble industrial development in the immediate fill nre. The Westport coal measures are being actively exploited, and the output __ will probably be greatly increased. The Stockton Westport Company has been floated, and has already commenced to open up its field. Another area lias been secured by an English company, comprising several large shipowners. The intention is to send their vessels from England to Smith Africa, (hen on to New Zealand to fill up with coni for South America. Two shifts are now being put on by the Westport Company. A couple of syndicates intend boring for low level coal. It is on the strength of these development works that the Westport Harbour Hoard, anticipating an increase of at least 20 per cent in its revenue, feels justified in launching out on an expensive scheme .of port improvements. The chief lealures of lids scheme is the floating basin, which will accommodate six large steamers. and make (hem independent of tlust,- lie of the river for loading. The Admiralty has also made representations to (lie Board through Admiral Fawkes, asking what it proposed to do to improve the entrance to the harbour. On till! strength of tLis, the Board decided on extending (lie breakwater on the Westpurl side out to the level of the other side, so as to give a greater depth of water on the bar. This was forwarded to the Marine Department for authorisation, but as the experience at Greymontb <lid not encourage tile belief that it would be effective, authority has so far been withheld. Both tLose matters, which are bound up with (he development of Hie port, have received a qualified approval from ihe Premier and the Minister for Marine, but both will have to go before the Cabinet.

[by electuic tcleciiapu.] IMI’OUTAXT DISCOVKRV OK COAL, WKSTPOIIT. May 14. An import :>iil discovery of coal in the I’.Vestporl Stockton I 'o.-il .Miniin; Company’s proper!y at Ngahawan. is reported. The find practically proves the extension of ;i lower seam, similar to the Coalhrookdalc one. nndcrlyiiu; about IOCO acres of-flic properly, and of an nmier seam of hard, •iiric,lll coal of eilenl quality, and about -i:; feel in thickness, underlyin'; an area of ahont 500 acres. The lower seam is from 16 feet to thirty feet in thickness, and is staled to he equal to the very lies! quality of coal produced from tic llnlh r eoalhclds.

In addition to the ahove, 500 tores on the western boundary contain a visible expansion of the flranily Creek seam with about 5,500,000 lons of eoal, briny, big the aggregate up to 26,500_0(»t0n5, or equal to an output of 250.00 u tons ner year for a century. The discovery has been verified by Mr Brooms, the company's engineer.