PARAPARA IRON ORE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13985, 19 August 1907, Page 2 (Supplement)

PARAPARA IRON ORE

DR BELL'S.REPORT ON THE DEPOSITS.

"GREAT STORE OF MINERAL WEALTH:"

WELLINGTON, August 15. The third of.the new ,series of.bulletins of the Nbw Zealand Gcdidgical Survey pebSHhierit, prbpared by Cr. Boil and his asffitarits, was pfdsbritbd to Parliariieht to<Hy. The.,bulletih deals with the Pafapdra (Nelsbn) .districti arid embraces an area of ibpiit 243 square miles;, . The prihoipal point of interest deait with is, of course, the Parapara iron ore deposits. These deposits, states the report; are bf

"taut economic value ind of great sciciitniii iiifcercst." "It seems rehlarkable," ijitys tlid import, "that; dephsite of iron orb of giich immensity, of such High uvefilßO qiialife and bf such cflst accessibility shb'utd barb teniatiled so lbiig tirlwbrk&l: Exposal as they arb to Hid sdrfdcfe; tlicy possess every facility for cheap "and easy wiririihg, frhile' their close firdsifriity to tlio eda coast at orico affords every opportunity for their! exportation in the crude stafd of' its jiifj iron. Tito actual winning of ,thb orb could be undertaken vi'Ah JiLilo cliffip;ulty clr expense by ;s!hipiy .quarrying on the pj»n cut system. In the Fesaßi section of the,take Superior recoil, w.hefe sbriiewhat. similar tohditioiis 'jjjfeviilj. the actual cost of mining is estimated at 80 .cehta, or 3s W a tori, In New Zealand, the average cost Should hoi greatly exceed.this amoutvt, <t-hd mining br*fa.tiohs..mipt : be.cotidllc'tfd even .Klbr'e fecbhdmiciilj-. It'in 11 probably be. found expedient tb convert the ore' into pig 'iron be'fflfe exportation." . It is st<ite<l thai suitable, sites for blast furnaces atlfl rbdifctiori.wbrlcs &F8 available. The ore. is. staled tb bei .of jjigli rlfdei, and well suited for the jnailjifaeiurc of . ifoli Arid steel, '.fhfl bfe iji the WAsliboiirri block shows a higher quality Hiaii the bMicr fireas.' ''The quantify, of ore," . says th 6. report, !'iti the three . blocks (WashbouHi, Tukurua. and' Qh'altaka) .is biibfmbiis." A rough esTimate of the' amouift of bre sliowihef bti this surface bf the Waslibottrn block gave 22,691,76?. tohs. the ambiint iii this one block may h'c riiiich greater, and it is not likely to bo less, file-ore bodies .of .the.three blocks are all in very accessible iocaiitiijs, being nowhere' more than it, 'few miles from the sea slibfe. 'The report gobs oii to say: "It has been estimated by very gbbd authorities that at the present'rate of consumption within 50 years.the .world's, visiblc.supply of .ores now considered sufficiently, high gfildb t6 lid employbd for maiiufabtute will .bb exhausted, lit vie* of these" • considerations the value of the immense deposits of iron Ore at' Pararfora cannot be doubted, and the day when this great, Btore of mineral wealth will Ije Utilised does hot sebm to be far'distant.".