REEFTON New Road Will Tap Big Field Of Coal At Garvey’s Creek

Greymouth Evening Star, 26 September 1950, Page 6

REEFTON New Road Will Tap Big Field Of Coal At Garvey’s Creek

REEFTON, This Day (O.C.)—A project of major importance in the development plan for the Garvey’s Creek coal field at Reefton, was commenced last week, when the assembly of heavy duty machines was pegun for the building of the first mile of a three and a-half miles length of road extension which, in its entirety, will involve the spending of £lOO,OOO The new road, which is to be an off-shoot of the present main road to Garvey’s Creek mine is to be built in sections, and is to provide the main access for the future working of “The Island block” an area lying between the present mine workings and the Waitahu section of the Reefton coal field. Open-Cast Workings There is estimated to be 500,000 tons of coal in this area available for open-cast working as well as several million tons which can be tapped by underground workings. This coal is of high grade and suitable for gasworks use. The building of the first mile of the new road will allow a start to be made with the development work for the open-cast mine in the island block. This will provide the first coal to be extracted from the area. The Nelson Highway Construction Company has accepted a contract for the first mile of road. The work has commenced, and is estimated to take six months to complete. The contract, one of the largest road-build-ing projects undertaken in the district for a long time, involves the clearing of heavy bush; and the cutting of a road into the hills, on some very steep grades. Heavy Machinery Two heavy duty bulldozers, a diesel shovel, an air compressor and the necessary fleet of motor trucks to serve the machines have been assembled for the work of clearing the bush, and building the new road. The State Mines Department has for some years been carrying on extensive prospecting work in the area between the Waitahu river and Garvey’s Creek mine.