DEVELOPING COALFIELDS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17634, 26 May 1919, Page 5

DEVELOPING COALFIELDS

STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER. - NEW MINE TO BE OPENED DIFFICULTIES OF RAILWAY COMMUNICATION. ■ ' \ (Pee United Psess Association.) . WELLINGTON, May 2A ' fcome information with respect, to activities of his department in developing - btate coal production was.given to a re-, porter by the Hon. Mr Mac Donald, Minister of Mines, . to-day. The Minister said it had been decided £9 open up a new mine ' -at the Nine Mile coalfield, "which was really aji extension of the Point Elizabeth mine. We have been boring on the site for some time. It is Crown land, part of a otate ooal reserve of 350 acres, and ia estimated: to contain over 4,000,000 tons of 2™' matter was gone into very carefully 'before coming to a decision. It is estimated that it will take two miles, of hne to' carry the railway from Runanga to the new mine. I have written to. the Minister of Public Works asking • himi- to take the necessary steps to have a survey u a s 'f^ a,^e ihio made,' and have requested that, the work be done with the' utmost possible despatch, as the matter is one of extreme urgency owing to the shortage -of coal. This branch railway line will have., to be authorised by a special Act, and it will take some considerable time to have the whole business in operation. >It will probably take two years to open up and develop the mine, but the main ; thing was to test the. field and see' whether, it .was worth developing, and that has been done. - "We have also under consideration the purchase of another coal field in- the North Island, near. Huntly. I am making a recommendation to the Cabinet, and a decision will probably .be arrived at next week. We have been continuously boring at Charming Creek; near Seddohvifle; /'for' the past three years, and it was decided that, owing to certain conditions, the field could not be developed by the State. The reservation has now been lifted from" the -land,. and several parties of 'miners are winning coal there and selling it to different merchants. "A" great deal has been said about a new coalfield near Westport. This field is about 18 miles from Westport, on the ' Westport-Mangahua road. It would be necessary to construct 12 miles of railway over heavy country. It is known that the ■ coalfield has an area of aboiit nine miles by seven, but it has never been properly tested to get an estimate of the amount - of coal that could be won. Until a' connection by railway was made, it is, of course impossible to work coal deposits in, that iocahty. The coal, however, is of very good quality. I have inspected tile mine on soverai occasions during the last few years, and a good many thousand tons have been mined and used for various purposes— dredging and so on." .