EXPORTS OF MINERALS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 8355, 8 September 1890, Page 11

EXPORTS OF MINERALS.

An* interesting return showing the amount of gold and other minerals exported from tho colony from 1857 to 3lst March, 1890, was presented to Parliament on August 22. It shows that from 1857 till March, 1890, gold to the value of £0,034,240 was produced by the Auckland goldfields, £249,754 worth, from Marlborough £706 worth, from Wellington, £923, worth from Nelson, £19,959,741 worth from the West Coast, £192 worth from Canterbury, and £18,718,436 worth from Otago, making a total since 1857 of £44,886,693. Another table shows the total quantities of minerals other than gold exported from the colony up to 31st December, 1889, to be as follows : — Silver, 52 tons 9 cwt, valued at £128,835 ; copper, 1874 tons valued at £17,802; chrome ore, 5666 tons valued at £37,367 ; antimony ore, 1858 tons valued at £25,069; manganese ore, 14,821 tons valued at £50,287 ; coal, 349,086 tons valued at £348,782; coke, 6724 tons valued at £10,907; kauri gum, 127,192 tons valued at £5,016,124 making a total value of mineral (other than gold) of £5.704,215. The total value of all minerals, including gold and silver, exported since January, 1857, amounts to £54,000.809. The amount of coal raised in the colony during the last 11 years has steadily increased from 162 to 218 tons in 1878 to 586,445 tons in 1889. Tho approximate quantity of coal produced in New Zealand since the mines were opened is 5,817,277 tons. Altogether there are 144 coal mines being worked. The total number of men employed in all the mines is 1717. Sixteen large mines employ 1358 out of the total, and produced 486,619 tons out of the total of 580,445 tons in 1889. The total number of miners of all classes employed i:i 1890 in Auckland mining districts was 186!!, in Marlborough 414, in Nelson '2080, in West land 3080, and in Otago 5337, making a total of 13,787 miners in the colony.