FRUITFUL NORTH

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22108, 14 May 1935, Page 11

FRUITFUL NORTH

UNTAPPED WEALTH GREAT MINERAL RESOURCES WIDE RANGE OF PRODUCTS DEVELOPMENT POSSIBILITIES No. VI. Although so comparatively close, to the auriferous country of Coromandel and Great Barrier Island, and still closer to the copper and silver deposits of Kawau Island, no extensive outcrops or deposits containing the precious metals have so far been discovered in the North Auckland peninsula. The authority, Mr. H. A. Gordon, states that gold has been found at Whangarei and at the Bay of Islands, but this was apparently not in payable quantity, and such traces as existed indicated probably only the outskirts of a field which lies submerged to the east of the peninsula. Almost the whole of North Auckland. however, is rich in the baser metals and mineral deposits. These have as yet only been partially explored, and developed commercially to but a very limited extent. With the rail and shipping facilities which this area enjoys and the widening demand and use for these products in both this and overseas countries, there is little dotibt that some, at least, will attract capital and provide considerable employment in the near future. Volcanic Clays Among those deposits which have considerable immediate commercial value are the clays suitable for making firebricks, tiles and glazed ware. Readily accessible deposits of kaolin, in which the silica and alumina content is well balanced, and which can be manufactured into a pure white brick or tile with great heat-resisting properties, are to be found at the Whangarei Heads. Extensive silica deposits near Whakapara provide material which is already being used fairly extensively for the manufacture of a very high-grade silica brick.

Again,, bricks with a high alumina content, and therefore particularly valuable for use where they come into contact with lime under heat, can be made from clay procurable at Kaurihohore. At what is known as "Soda-water Flat," in the Kamo Springs neighbourhood, there is a deposit of diatomaceous earth which is now being worked oq, a small scale commercially. In this district, also, Fuller's earth, used for clarifying oils and fats, and largely used by freezing works in New Zealand, is procurable. From halloysite deposits at Kaurihohore, and fine silica near Whakapara high quality polishes for metals can be manufactured, although little has yet been done to develop theSe on a commercial scale. Abundant Coal and Iron Within recent years it has been discovered that in considerable areas of the North Island there is a shortage of available iron in the soil. This deficiency in the past has resulted in the disease of livestock known as bush sickness and allied ills which for some time retarded development of pastoral pursuits in the pumacious areas. The discovery some years ago by Mr. B. 0. Aston that a lack of iron in the pasture was the primary cause of bush sickness, resulted in the development of deposits of oxide of iron in the Whangarei district, at Kamo and Okaihaii, to supply this demand, and incidentally made healthy stock country of considerable areas which were previously almost worthless for this purpose.

These iron, or limonite deposits, are now of considerable importance to stockmen throughout the whole Dominion, as well as to gas companies which, by passing their product through oxide of iron, are thus able to extract its sulphur content. The coalfields of the North Auckland Peninsula are so well known as hardly to require attention being drawn to their extent and possibilities. The Hikurangi district has long produced a highgrade coal, and although, owing largely to prevailing economic conditions, the output from this point is at present greatly reduced, the exploration and development of what is probably an extension of this coalfield at Whareroa, Kiripaka and Avoc'a, is of considerable interest. Especially is this so in view of recent overseas discoveries that motor spirit and other valuable by-products can be economically extracted from low-grade coal by modern processes. Nature's Wise Provision It is a remarkable fact, which will no doubt have impressed observers of nature's provisions for the development of soil productivity, that wherever there is likely to be a big demand for some particular soil ingredient Nature has foreseen and supplied the need. So in the North, where the soil over considerable areas is crying out for lime to liberate its imprisoned fertility, vast outcrops of high-grade lime in close conjunction with coal for its burning, are to be found. There is little question that as this district develops, and the necessity for the application of lime to ameliorate the stiff clays of the gum-lands and elsewhere is more fully recognised, these deposits will have immense value in stimulating production undreamed of at present. The manufacture of cement providing employment for a very large number of men, is established at Portland, close to Whangarei, and here some of the mineral wealth of the North, such as hydraulic lime, and oxide of iron, are made use of in producing high-grade cements. Undeveloped Fields Outcrops and deposits of copper, manganese antimony, barium and lead are known through the North, but none have been extensively prospected or developed on a commercial scale. Mercury has, however, aroused greater interest, and at present a deposit of cinnabar at Puhipulii, near Whakapara, is being worked. It is believed this mercurybearing area extends from Puhipuhi to Cape Brett and Kawakawa. Interest in this mineral was recently taken by a powerful overseas company, which commenced operations adjacent to thermal springs near Kaikohe, but operations here now have been discontinued. The whole of the North Auckland peninsula abounds with mineral and thermal springs, the _ aftermath of former volcanic activity. In these waters, it is claimed, can be found practically every salt known to science, and their curative properties, especially in the case of rheumatism and skin diseases, are winning fame and attracting visitors from far southern districts. It is probable that there is no area either in New Zealand or Australia, where such a wide range of valuable minerals can be found, and it is unquestionable that the commercial exploitation of these is certain to follow as the employment of modern method=» and an increased demand for the minerals makes the undertakings profitable