REEFTON NOTES

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 March 1944, Page 8

REEFTON NOTES

[OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.]

REEFTON, March 22. An innovation in the coal mining industry has commenced at Reefton. In the Waitahu section of the Inangahua coalfield, Messrs L. Eklunc! and party are now producing coal by what is technically known as ’the open-cut” method of working. This is the first mine of this kind on the West Coast and in the South Islana. The coal lies near the surface and is practically quarried out. Benches are cut in the coal face and loading is made direct into lorries for transport to the railhead at the Reefton station. Thus the expense of making long drives to pick up coal seams is eliminated, and the producers are also able to do without bins for loading and storage purposes. For some time a bulldozer has been stripping over-burden from the coal seam, and yesterday the first loads of coal were lorried to the railway trucks. As the face extends loading is to be carried out by the use of a steam shovel. A large area is held by the party, and a heavy tonnage of coal is available for mining without any further prospecting. A second open-cut mine is?; at present in the prospecting stage in the TteefLon field.