HIDDEN RICHES.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLII, Issue 6, 8 January 1908, Page 6

HIDDEN RICHES.

NEW ZEALAND'S MINERAL RESOURCES.

GREAT POSSIBILITIES

QUESTION OF IRON AND STEEL WORKS.

LONDON, Nov. 22. There was a large attendance on Tuesday afternoon at the Whitehall Rooms, of the Metropole Hotel, to hear a paper on the "Mineral Resources of New Zealand," re*d Ky Dr Mackintosh Bell. Lord Ranfurly presided, and among those present werer Mr Jenkins (Agent-General for South Australia), Dr C. H. Hames, Mr George Beetham, Mr L. Wdteteiid, Mr Merricks (formerly of Auckland), Mr Gilbert Anderson, MrJ.Kirkiey Campbell, Mr J. H, Whiteford Mr Edward Wakefield, and th© Right Rev. Bishop Moorehouse. The High Commisscioner for New Zealand was not able to be there. Taking as his text "Salient features of the Economic Geology, Ur Bell said: "Perhaps in no country of the world is coal more generally distributed than it is in New Zealand, as it occurs in almost every part ot the Dominion—a fact whjch makes up for 'the narrowness of the coal seams, and the inextensions of the basins in which they lie, as compared with coal deposits in other countries. The coal varies considerably in quality, both in regard to the amount of asb and the state of earbonation. Unlike the European coal and most of that of the United States and Canada, the New Zealand coal is not of the carboniferous age, tret of much lesser antiquity The coals of Kaitangata, Shag Point and Nightcaps, which form fairly wide seams in tertiary rocks in the southeastern part of the South Island, are lignites of good quality. The seams which are so widely distributed m the hilly country west of the Canterbury Plains are all, lignites, but not generally so highly carbonised as are the Southern coals. The coals of Greymouth and Brunnerton, in the Westland district, and of Westport and Puponga, in the Nelson districts, are bituminous coals of varying degrees of purity. The coals of the North Island, which are chiefly in the northern part, near Auckland and Whangarei, are in general intermediate in state of carbonation between the bituminous coals' and the lignites. No extensive seams of true anthracite have as yet been found in New Zealand, though there is a very «nall deposit in ■ early tertiary sedtinerits at Cabbage Bay, in the Hauraki Peninsula, which owes its high percentage of fixed carbon to the metamorphism produced by the extrusion of flows of andesite. Some of the lignite seams of Canterbury also are said to be in part altered to anthracite, as a product of contact metamorphism. _ "In many parts of the Dominion there is abundant evidence of petroleum, though in no locality can it be said to have been proven to exist m great quantity. It has been found and exploited to some slight degree at Kotuku, near Greymouth, m Westland, near Gisborne in the Auckland district* and at New Plymouth in Taranaki, not far from the base of the lofty cone of Mount Egmont. In the last-named locality, the oil seeps out of the surface along the seashore, and at a few places in. the interior, and gas issues at many points along natural crevices. Boring operations have been conducted ■ in this locality for a number of years, and very recently have apparently met with success. An oil-bearing stratum has been struck at a depth of 2400 ft., .which at present is said by the proprietors to give a steady flow under high pressure. The oil-bearing stratum consists of a loosely consolidated marine sand, underlying hard argillaceous sandstone, above which marine sands and clays, iriore or less hardened, extend to the surface. As far as is known, all the beds are disposed in almost horizontal attitudes, the lowest being probably of Miocene age, the upper apparently Pliocene. In the Gisborne district apparently the < petroleum is even more widespread, . And the prospects equally bright for the discovery of large wells. However, comparatively little 'exploration has been done within recent years in this localty. A lengthened reference was then made to the various deposits of irorisand in New Zealand, -particularly to .tb,e hematite at Parapara, and the ironsand at New Plymouth. Dr Bell devoted a good deal -of attention to the New Zealand gold mines, but his remarks related mainly to facts aliready well known in New Zealand, so I need noo reproduce them. also stated what was known as to the existence of silver, copper, platinum, and tin in New Zealand, remarking, in, conclusion^ that "ores of 'antimony, lead, zinc, mercury, and several other metals have been discovered in New Zealand, but scarcely in sufficient quantity to deserve special mention. Much of the wild, mountainous country of the South Island and of the thickly wooded central and northern parts of the North Island • are still unexplored, and vast mineral .wealth may yet be discovered in these 'areas of terra incognita." Mr J. H. Witheford, in opening the discussion, pointed out that the great secret of New Zealand's prosperity was its vast natural resources, .and the fact that its working classes ' were the most industrious set oi men on the face of the earth. There was no labour difficulty in New Zealand. If there were labour difficulties, how could three-quarters of a million people produce £16,000,000 worth for export, in addition to providing for the requirements of the country? It was fair and ..right that the New Zealand working men should be credited with what was absolutely their due.' As stated by Lord Ranfuriy in a paper read by him some time ago, the productiveness and prosperity of New Zealand had been brought about by -the natural wealth and rich resources of the country, in conjunction with the vigour and industry of its population. It was, however, essential that the people interested in the development and progress of the country should be able to find the necessary -capital for development. Under the. - ancient system, geological references to mineral districts were almost entirely in long terms very few people could spell or understand. Their chairman was one of the first white men to traverse the auriferous belt which struck through the North Is : Oland, and extended from the Waihi through the Urewera country. That country has been locked up against European enterprise, but with such a man at the head of the Geological Department as Dr Bell, who was allowed to have a staff of men to make ianalyses, and to show how mineral Resources could «jbe worked, there would be an inducement to people to provide funds, and to arrange with

KYLW, KW ZEALAID, TASMAHA.

the Government to take up areas— and to expend capital in such directions as wouldbe profitable. New Ziealand's prosperity, however, did not only depend 'on the gold: there was iron. Dr Bell had had a staff of 16 men at work at Parapara, and had made a most careful analysis ot that wonderful deposit, about a quarter oca mile wide, several miles long, and carrying over 51 per cent metallic iron. The one thing requited was to erect blast furnaces and iron and steel works jthis would mean such an impetus for New Zealand that few people could realise. Pittsburg, Middlßsboro',* and such places, with their rapid advances and increased population and wealth, showed what it meant-^they owed their start_to iron and steel development. The lecturer had said that he expected to hear that iron and steel works would shortly be started in New Zealand. The late Mr Louis Spitzel, over a year ago, had been ready to find a quarter of a million of money to put up works. Mr Spitzel, the son^ of the gentleman just named, bitdguaranteed a quarter of a million for the iron project. The Hon. Walter Johnston, of New Zeaalnd, joined in raising a further £100,000 in New Zealand; he, however, had since died. These difficulties had checked things, but the cloud was only temporary. Mr J. L. F. Vogel referred to the question of the solution of gold. There was a very great deal of interest being taken in the origin of gold deposits, and anything Dr Bell could say towards solving this great problem would be of very great interest, Very little had been said of what were known professionally as the "rarer" minerals }n New Zealand. None could say when these would come into demand, but a very few years changed a "rarer" mineral into one very much in demand. He joined in congratulating New Zealand on having secured Dr Bell's services. (Hear, hear). Sir Frederick Young referred to his association with New Zealand in the early, days, and to the work of Edward Gibbon Wakefield, who had hoped they would not find gold in

New Zealand, the discovery of gold in Australia having turned that country upside down. . Mr George Beetham referred to the great loss New Zealand and the scientific world had sustained by the death of Sir James Hector. He had no doubt that Dr Bell would be a worthy successor in assisting New Zealand to develop her extraordinary resources. He had been one of those who with varied success had endeavoured to assist in the development of the mining, agricultural, and pastoral districts, and he did hope that the hidden riches of the Dominion might be brought to light within reasonable time, to the great benefit of all. Mr Vbgel had touched upon a subject of great interest, the process by which gold was deposited in the rocks. In the Karangahake district ne (Mr Beetham) had seen for the first time what seemed to him the evidence of the gradual deposition of gold by hot water and crystallisation. It was in a small reef, vabout an inch in width, and on each side of the fissure gold had formed in beautiful flowers—not exactly crystals. It was one of the most wonderful sights he had ever seen. Unfortunately the gold obtained from that reef did not pay, but it showed the gold had been deposited by crystallisation through the hot water. Mr Edward Wakefield pointed out that the significance of New Zealand being raised to the status of a Dominion lay in the fact that for all time it was to be a country standing by itself, apart from all other, countries in the British Empire, never to become merged in any Other country. This was a triumph for the principles of the early colonists. He had no doubt that Dr Bell would develop results that would raise New Zealdnd to an extraordinary pitch of prosperity. The speaker then referred to the value of the waterfalls of the Dominion. It had been a hobby of his for years that the future success of the development of the vast iron deposits lay in the utilisation of the enormous water power ©f the country He had an idea that some day Milford Sound would be another Glasgow where fleets of warships would he built of New Zealand steel, hammered out by the i power from the Sutherland Falls^ and the great falls on the West Coast. ■ ■■: The development of the Parapara iron deposits, he had ever/ reason to believe, was going to op^ii up > new era in the history of'th* country. Lord;. Rahfurly, 'in closing the discussion, said the surface of New Zealand, had hardly yet been scratched. But why Mr Wakefield should desire to set down ironworks in the middle of Milford Sound, amid the finest scenery in the whole world, was more than he could understand. He might, have selected some other spot than one absolutely unique in the whole world. Lotd Ranfurly then referred to the "beach" claims of New Zealand, and the kauri gum industry. . \

A hearty vote of thanks having been passed to the lecturer, Dr Bell said Sir James Hector had done perfectly splendid work. As to the deS>sifr of gofd in -hot springs of the brth?lslßiii4> it W'a Si a' difficult question. But in some1 of the hot springsl !nq<t only *er& gold and silver being deposited, but they had found nickel, antimony, and some other minerals. It was hoped before long they might bY able to bring out a paper proving that a variety of metals were being deposited by these hot springs, which he thought would give illuminating information on the interesting subject of the genesis of ore deposits.