MINERAL WEALTH.

Marlborough Express, Volume XXXIX, Issue 35, 10 February 1906, Page 3

MINERAL WEALTH.

NEW ZEALAND'S PROSPECTS

AN ENCOURAGING OUTLOOK

DR BELL'S OPINIONS

While tli3 colony has been concerning itself with the outlook for frozen mutton, butter and wool, and other things scheduled as " agricultural and pastoral," Dr Bell, Government geologist, with energetic henchmen, has been unobtrusively noting New. Zealand's dowry of minerals. It is well known that he has projected a geological survey of both islands, but his methods of working have scarcely received the prominence to which they are entitled. A representative of the " Lyttelton Times" was, therefore, glad of aii opportunity yesterday to have a chat with Dr Bell in Christchurch.

The visitor said that it was intended to make a comprehensive geological survey of New Zealand, but the mining side of the work was quite the •most important, and, therefore, the piineipaf mining districts were the first to receive attention. The exam- j ination of these regions would take a long time, and when they had been finished a survey of other parts of the colony would be undertaken. In accordance with this scheme of operations, a commencement had been made in AVestland. Another party was working in Coromandel, and a third in Central Otago. "I lay out the work," Dr Bell explained, " and leave it to my assistants. We take definite districts. Westland, for instance, is divided into a number of areas. Gold is chiefly located in the northern part of the province, and this region is known as the North Westland quadrangle. AH New Zealand is divided into survey districts, and they could not all be done in cne year. We do the work very carefully, and may spend months in one locality. Not more than two or three can be done in a year, and the amount completed in this period is called a " sheet,", because we bring out a man covering that particular portion ot country. The area surveyed depends, of course, on the roughness of the ground, ease of communication, and so on. We find that, three districts can be done in'a year in Westland, and we have got the work well started'there. The district around Hpkitika, reaching from the sea, at right angles with the coast, to the mountains, has been finished, and other parts further south are in hand. Similarly the operations in Central Otago are being carried on." Mentioning that the progress"*of the survey varied greatly with local conditions, Dr Bell said that the interior of Westland had not been explored, and consequently added to the difficultis of his task. "We have found," he continued, "in this wild back part of the province a great deal of country, of interest economically, which was not so considered before. We have more money and more means for exploration than our predecessors had, and therefore we can go right back into the mountains. Our work,, has been very successful. The first reports will be published during the coming winter."

'•' New Zealand," he went on, speaking generally, " has wonderful economic possibilities, in mining especially, a fact which has not been brought forward in the past as much as it might have been. lam very sanguine about the mining possibilities. Of course, in a country so influenced by volcanic eruptions, there is a likelihood of many deposits being patchy, but I do not think that they are all so. The main thing is to find out the ones which are valuable, and separate them from the others. For example, the deposit of iron at Parapara is one of the largest in the world, and for gold there are very few mines to equal Waihi."

Di Boll's opinion discounted a current idea that New Zealand had a little of many minerals but not much of any particular .one. By scientific and practical methods he hopes to weed out the areas which do not promise good returns, and locate those which will repay working. A great deal of money is needed for this process, but he holds that a country which seems to be prosperous everywhere should devote some of its wealth to exploiting its mineral resources. He and his staff are bent on finding a second back-bone to the country, and by combining scientific methods with practical ones they expect to be successful in their search. They are engaged on a very detailed survey. No mountain ridge is too high for them, no valley is too law. Every little creek is inspected, every outcrop is examined. Thus, when they have gone over one district it is done for all

time. "If there is nothing in it," Dr Bell remarked laconically, " then there is nothing. If there is something, we lay stress on that particular feature." He had unstinted praise fo- the men—" a lot of fine young fellows," he termed them—who have gone out with him into the wilderness to divine the secrets of the earth.