COAL RESOURCES

Hokitika Guardian, 11 February 1938, Page 7

COAL RESOURCES

SURVEY BEING JJREPARED. TIMARU, Feb. 9. “I want a complete survey ot tie coal resources of the Dominion, and it is now being prepared,” said the Minister for Mines the Hon. P. C. Webb) in an address to the fourteenth annual conference of the Gas Institute of New Zealand at Timani to-day. “We are surveying both the quantity and quality of our coal, including lignite, bituminous and anthracite deposits, and when we have all the facts we will have a complete knowledge of the source of the potential wealth to be very thankful for. No country can be called poor that has large, wo.liable coal deposits. The Minister said that one of his most important objects as Minister lot Mines was to conserve most carefully the Dominion’s coal resources. Already hundreds of thousands of tons of coal bad been destroyed by mining out tlie heart of coal seams. Of course, it was ;i commercial age. and *tlie industry bad to meet liiglily-competitive conditions with rising costs, but he hoped that in the not so distant future the world would find more, use for coat than in heating.

“We should look upon our eoal mines as a very valuable treasure,” lie said, “and set out with a religious fervour to conserve every ton of coal, and to make full use of our resources. 1 should like it to come about that I would shudder to see smoke pouring out of a chimney. Nothing should be wasted in the exploitation of coal.” Air Webb forecast conferences among scientists, coal industrialists, and politicians to plan the best means of getting full value from coal. Politicians had to generalise, lie said, hut tlmv had also to be capable of exploit-

ing the brains of the country's spocia' ists. He would also like to see the advance of science inspire a niarkol an,l early advance in the education system in furthering the cause ot a happier mankind. “We politicians should make it our business to get discoveries of the laboratory into feasible practice with the illilliiituin of delay.”