PERSONAL ITEMS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LVI, 15 August 1924, Page 4

PERSONAL ITEMS

The Hon. W. \Y. Snodgrass returned to Nelson this morning, the Legislative Council having adjourned to Wednesday next.

Mr T. E. Foster leaves for Mawera this evening to produce “Our Miss Gibbs,” in connection with the local Operatic Society. Later Mr Foster will reutrn to Nelson for the production of the same opera by the Nelson amateurs.

The, President of the Nelson Progress League. (Mr W. J. Moffatt) speaking at the. executive meeting yesterday afternoon, congratulated the Secretary (Mr E. R. Neale) on the groat, extent of work ho had already done in connection with the League. ' • ■■ : ■

Some little time, ago the secretary of the Nelson Progress League (Air E. R. Neale) wrote to the Minister of Alines (Hon. G. J. Anderson) seeking any information referring to the prospects of coalfields in the vicinity of the proposed route of the railway between Glenhope and, Inangahua Junction. In reply tne Minister torvvarded a copy of the context of a report prepared by Air P. G. Morgan, Director of Geological Survey, in connection with the matter. This is as follows : “The central and western part of the old province of Nelson consists essentially of three great north-and-south-trending depressions separated by mountain ranges. The ISuller River crosses these depressions and mountains, and its valley affords the only practicable railway routo between Nelson and the West Coast. The railway from Nelson to Glenhope is along tne most easterly of the depressions, and the mountains immediately to the west- are cut through the Buller by way of the narrow valley extending from above the Hope junction to near the Owen Junction, where itenters the central depression, here about fourteen miles wide. The western edge of tills depression is between two and l.h'reo miles west of Murchison. The. Owen and Alatiri rivers drain the northern part of the depression, and the Afangles, Matakitaki, and Alarttia the southern. The last mentioned stream joins the Buller about a mile east of where the Buller enters the gorge through the Lycll-Victoria Alountains, which separate the central depression from the liiaiigtilnta depression. All the depressions are Hooted with Tertiary strata, which in places contain coal-seams, whereas the mountains are formed of ancient sediments and granites. Thick coal occurs in the most, easterly depression, but not near the railway. Near Glenhope the Tertiary rocks contain a few thin bands of inferior and eotir.inereially valueless lignite. Some fault-involved bituminous coal also occurs in this district. The extensive Inangahua. coalfield will be tapped chiefly by the Inangahua-Westport railway, and presumably the enquiry of the Nelson Provincial League is concerned chiefly with the coal of the central depression.

No part of the central depression has been geologically examined in detail. Coni is known to occur at several points, although the. seams are not thick, and the coal-hearing areas are probably not. extensive. Professor James Park reports that a seam of pitch coal 6ft. thick, dipping 50deg. to the west, outcrops on the west side of the Owen vallov about six miles upstream from its junction with the Buller. He writes that ‘a probable coal area of some, extent’ occurs along the east side of the Owen A^alley. North of the Buller, rather more than a mile west of the junction of the Alangles and a few chains from the road, a coal-seam was formerly worked to supply fuel to dredges. This seam, which dips at 45degs. to the north-east is but 2ft. thick. Tt is of excellent quality. A seam about 4ft. thick, striking a little south of east and dipping 40degs. north, outcrops on the right bank of the Maruia River about, two and a half miles above its junction with the Buller. This seam was worked a few years ago to a small extent. . . .

A 2ft. seam of excellent coal dipping cast at 70degs. outcrops close to the Alalakitaki-Glenroy junction, and _ McKay states that in the _ Maruia Valley ‘above and opposite Station Creek there is a 30ft .seam of brown coal.’ These points are respectively about 15 and 30 miles from Murchison. No analysis of the coal in the Owen Valley is * available, but the compositions of the other coal-seams mentioned

No. 1 Longford (1 mile west of Mangles). Forms a hard compact coke. Lab. Rep., No. 38, p. 6, 1905. No. 2. Block IV, Alaruia S.D. (Similes up Maruia. R.), Lab. Rep., No. 50. p. 14,.. 1.917,, ... No. 3. Glenrov junction. Lab. rep., No. 40, p. 57, 19*07. No. 4. Alaruia Valley, near YValker’s Station. Lab. Rep. No. p- 6, 1895.”

are shown in the following table 1 2 3 4 Fixed Carbon 51.20 48.80 56.25 50.11 Volat ile Hvdrocarbons 40.20 44.71 35.66 29.76 Water 2.80 2.41 1.34 15.12 A sh 5.80 4.08 6.75 5.01 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 Sulphur .56 4.70 0.52