OUR MINERAL RESOURCES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13652, 23 July 1906, Page 4 (Supplement)

OUR MINERAL RESOURCES

THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF NEW ZEALAND. INTERVIEW WITH DR J. M. BELL. It has frequently been remarked that no country can become great which does not develop its mineral resources. There is, therefore, no reason to waste space in justifying the existence in New Zealand of a Government Department for Geological Survey. . . A Government which would neglect the investigation of tho mineral' 1 wealth of its territories would, indeed, bo guilty of an act of omission for which it would find it difficult to otfer any satisfactory excuse. About a year or so ago, it Will Ixs remembered, on the retirement of Sir James Hector—a man whose scientific services Jo tho colony will long'be remembered,—it was decided to reorganise the Department of Geological Survey on more * modern lines, and I he work was entrusted to Dr J. M. Bell, Ph.D., an ablo yoimg Canadian scientist, who came to the colony with an excellent reputation from Canada, tho United Stales, and tho Old Country, to fill the position of director of the department referred to. Dr Bell, who has more than justified his reputation in the eyes of those who know him and have seen eomethiiig of his work, was in Christchurch recently, and ho very kindly granted nit interview to a reporter, in which he communicated some particulars regarding the working of his department and tho mineral ' problems ot iho colony. "I have now been in New Zealand somo 16 months," Dr Bell said, "and we have got well under way a systematic and detailed geological survey of the colony upon tho most modern scientific lines. Wc are paying particular attention to the chief economic features of tho work, and naturally are seeking to assist the mining industry as far as, wo are able to do so, But iur survey is moro exhaustive than that, and includes the physiographic, ' petvographic, and palreonto'ogio features of the colony. For the purpose of the survey we liavo divided the colony into great' districts, corresponding moro or less to tho land districts, and each of these is subdivided inlo quadrangles, though, owing to tho'general outline of the country, these quadrangles have not all, as a mailer of fact, four sides. Each of these quadrangles contains a special set of geological problems, wlneh haw to he studied. Thus, in tho IlauraSki quadrangle wo liavo the great goldfields of tho north—at Thames, Waihi, and Coromamlol. In tho Rotorua quadranglo we have the hydrnthermal phenomena, whilst iu the Westland North quadrangle aro the irold-benring gravels. Wo still further subdivide the quadrangles into sheets or sections, liko tho land survey districts, and these are conveniently grouped for a year's work, each containing a specific problem, which is fully studied, after which a detailed geological sheet is prepared." To what extent has the detailed geological survey been carried out so far? " In the senso in which I have described a geological survey to you, very little has been done. There are whole tracts' of totally unexplored country, so that altogether we have not much to help us. But do not suppose that I would for one moment belittle tho work of my predecessors The old survey plans are verygood indeed from a reconnaissance point of view, and wo owe a real debt of gratitude to the pioneers in geological work in New Zealand. All I desire to convey is that the most modern scientific idea of a ■ complete- geological survey requires infinitely more detail work than was thought necessary, or than was indeed possible, in the days that are past. To- i day wo examine the country in tremendous I detail. Every river, ridge, and spur is followed in the most thorough manner, and mapped in all its details, and as far as possible no economic feature is allowed to escape, so that tho exact' economic resources of a district, geologically and mineralogically speaking, are known. When tin; work is completed in any one district a report or bulletin showing tho geological detail and other resources independent of geological information is prepared. (• this report we dwell at groat length on the economic side of the work, and carefully-prepared maps are included, which can be utilised by prospectors." " During the past season." Dr Bell went on. "detailed work has been done in the Hokitika section of the North Westland quadrangle, in the Alexandra section of the Central Otago quadrangle, in the Cape Colville section of the llauraki quadrangle, and in the Wilherforco section of the Waimskariri quadrangle. Reconnaissance surveys of little-explored territory have been conducted by myself in the Rotorua quadrangle during the winter, and in the glacial area of the southern part of the South Westland quadrangle. I should liko to state that 1 am very satisfied with tho work don" by my assistants. The men have worked exceedingly well, and I must snv that I; as a comparative stranger in Now Zeal*"' 1 - lave been helped in my

work in oyery possible way. I cannot too earnestly impress ii|>oti you tho importance and usefulness of this work, especially its eoonomio aspects. In Canada and the United States of America they look far more to tho economio sido of the work than we do here, and this is a branch which requires to bo developed and cultivated in Now Zealand. In every country. and hero quite as much as olsowticre, there are vast tracts of country not suited for agricultural work, and it is there that we must seek to develop our mineral resources." What, then, do you think of the mineral resources of Now Zealand? "Well, as I have already observed, I havo not been in the colony very long, ami'my systematic survey has not advanced " Well, as I have already observed. 1 far enough yet to enablo me to speak with scientific precision. But. speaking from somo considerable experience in Canada, in the United States, and in England, I will say that I am greatly impressed with the.mineral potentialities of New Zealand. OF course everything at present is in tho incipient, stage. One often hears it said of the minerals of New Zealand that, they only occur in patches. Well, there aro good poesibililies in any country, but let mo.tell you that there arc big thiiKS ill 6tore bore. In about threo weeks' time my detailed report on the Hokitika sheet of tho North West'and ~;umlrangle will lie published. It will shmv the resources of an area of some 500 square miles from Hokitika eastward across the Alps. While not, wishing to anticipate anything I mav say in that report, 1 may tell you that wo have found considerable deposits of precious greenstone in situ, terpentine, rock and quartz veins, in addition to many other interesting features. The work in ihe other quadramdes is not sufiio'ontly advanced yet to permit of my going into detail regarding them at present. Similarly, as yon will understand. I am not at present in a position to say what- is tho most promising mineral resource of the colony. There are several very promising resources. Westland is hiMi'v minoraHs-n' from north to smith in the mountain belt. In one part of IJic country the mineral licit contains a deposit of greenstone. The country is said liv my friend, Mr G. .T. Roberts. Chief Surveyor for Westland. to contain almost every known metal, and he, perhaps, has a bettor idea of that part of New Zealand than any man I know of. I am greatly indebted' to him for his valuable help there. The North Nelson field round Para vara and Col'inewood is very promising. There are frreat iron deposits at Paranam. Then there are the goldfields of the llauraki Peninsula, whore much of the enuntrv has so far only been scratched on Iho surface. There is said tn bo a good copper-bearing belt near Kainara and Whatir.r'ev 'I'll" 'ho e should pood finds in the m-exnlorfd parts of Southland and Western Otago. I think it probable that we mav find there a continuation of the mineral belt of Westland." Do you think tin occurs here in paying quantities? As you know, the price of that liietal has risen lately by leaps and bounds. "Ves. 1 know that: but I cannot answer your question. Tin does occur in Stewart Island, and it is said to occur in Westland. but I have not seen any here myself yet. and so I cannot say whether it is to be found in paying quantities or not." And what of petro'ciiin? "Ah, the burning question of the hour. Well, I see no reason why springs should not occur in Taramiki. I am informed by Mr Fair, who is iu charge of the boring operations nt Moiuroa that tho stratum near tho bottom of the well whore the petroleum is obtained shows hard, possibly argilaceous, layers and pervious sandy layers. It is generally supposed nowadays that petroleum is the result of tho 6low deconqiosition cf vegetable matter contained in the strata, and, as a rule, the hydrocarbons formed, owing to their lightness, rise in a pervious stratum, such as sandstone, until held back by an impervious stratum, such as clay, shale, or slate. Apparently they have the stratum at New Plymouth which seems to be a primal requisite. When these strata are folded by movements in the earth's crust, by upfolds and downfolds, respectively known as anticlines and sinclines, it is usually found that the petroleum and hydrocarbons seek the top of the anticlines, further movement upwards being retarded by the impervious strata above. When one of those anticlines is tapped by a boro hole the jwrvious stratum of sandstone is reached, and it is not improbable that actual cavities occur in the pervious stratum containing small reservoirs of petroleum, or perhaps most of the petroleum may itself bo held in the loose stratum. Very often a great deal of gas occurs above the liquid petroleum, and when tho stratum is tapped the pressure propels the petroleum to tho surface. In part. also, the pressure may be due to the water pressure iu tho surrounding strata, as the water is much heavier than tho hydrocarbon compounds. There now, I have told you a lot about petroleum, haven't I, and all the time I have not been telling you what you would liko to know. But I trieh to refrain from giving any ex-

prossion of opinion regarding specific mineral resources until my departmental reports arc given to the public." What is your opinion regarding Rotorua? " A most fascinating place—a veritable wonderland. Rotorua ■ presents' a series of the most interesting problems of the hydrothermio order. The geysers, boiling springs, fttmarolcs, and expiring volcanoes are most interesting. One feature of especial interest has a direct bearing on gold deposition, the boiling springs containing gold and silvei in solution in very minute quantities. There is no , reason to suppose that tho field is becoming extinct because soino parts are loss active than formerly. Kotorua is a place of constant changes. Thus the Tarawcra eruption of 20 years ago, the appearance of Waimangu Geyser 15 years ago. and its dying out last year are all indications of incessant change. Not long ago there were' great extensions of lava on the surface, and that lava beneath is still very hot, and is the cause of the hydro-thermal phenomena we sm there. If you ask whether Eolorua may be a potential dancer, my reply is that one never knows what may happen in such a region, but I have not much ouinion of those people who, for the love of sensation and Iho use of picturesque phrase, talk about Rotorua being the safety valve of the North Island, and what not" One hears from lime to time a good deal about prospecting parties going out in various parts cf the colony. What do you think of such parties? "Well, our work, of course, aims at assisting prospecting as much as possible. I do pot say that wc are successful m finding every vein and deposit of economic value, but I do say that when our work is completed wo shall have specified the areas in which prospecting can be conducted to advantage It is not necessary to be a scientist to engage in nrospect-ing, and though, generally sneaking, I am strongly opposed to haphazard prospecting, I have a great regard for prospecting conducted on reasonable ideas and in areas which are likelv to give dcrosils of value."

There aro mam- other questions which the reporter would' have liL-ed to ask Dr Bell had lie dared to trespass upon his time any longer. But an hour's conversation forms a tolerably long interview, mid niiongh Ims been snid to show what very valusb'o work the Ooloirical Survey Department is doing under Dr Bell's control. K knowledge of our economio mineral resources is indispensable to us in these dnvs of hard comr/etition in the stnigcle for national as well as individual existence, unless the ideals of the age are to be foresworn. And, no less important is it that the public should be supplied with straight, reliable, and unbiased information. One feels certain, after a chat with Dr Bell, that both the one desideratum and the other are certain to be fulfilled, and that the colony is fortunate in havini? secured the services of so able a scientist to direct itfi geological survoys.