THE BULLER COALFIELDS.

Otago Witness, Issue 659, 16 July 1864, Page 22

THE BULLER COALFIELDS.

The Special Committee (the Provincial Soli citor, c'lahmaTi) appointed to consider that part of His Honor's speech renting to the Buller coalfields, report as follows : — The mode of opening the Western coalfields having been much diseuss-d, and suggestions having been made in His Honor's melange No 10 (retprred to jour committee) as wall as by persons cut of doors, o* a somewhat different character from the conclusions at which your committee have arrived, they think it right, in stating th°se conclusions, to give shortly the eh <-f troui.ds o* them.

Th<y think it in-t.visable that the Government shou'd take any share in 'h- enterprise or expend any money upon it further tbnn U w-ecs-ary tor enlar^inif their pn'Fent information on ths coalfield and for the preliminary ex penses of bunging the eunjert before the tnnnied public They recognise the fact that an expenditure by the Government would be one sort of evidence of the bona fides of thp unjert 'king. But such an expenditure could not he made withont some stipulations and some supervision by Govern in°nt, and they are of opinion that the j-alousy felt by the British cap ta!is-t- of Government interference would do m ire to defeat th° o! jects in view, than the money advanced, rr the'proof it would furnish of the sincerity of Government would do to advance them.

Yom* C.mraittpe are cf opinion that step* should b* taken for hwit'i for forming a company entirely independent of Government help orcon'rol except as to the ordinary provisions of a collierj lease.

They recommend thit a lease be offered to such a company of 128 ) acres within the Buller reserve, to be «el*c'ed within two jenrs from the form it'on of the company, the lense to be cxc cure i upon th<* subscription of a total capital of L 200,000. The terra of the lease to be 99 years, the di>a<i rent 10s per acre per annum, the royalty 3 J per ton on (lie coal raised. The lea'-e to contain the oidinaiy covenants and powers.

In order to carry these proposals iuto effeat, they recommend that a person tho-oug'dy acquainted with the Western coal field should be despatched to England to ..et with tbe Provincial Au'ent, Mr Morrison, for bringing the subject befoie British capitalists. They have not lost sight, in recommending the English money niaiket, of the fact that it is pro bable c ipital may be bad nearer to hind in 'he Australian Colonies. It is Dot, however, sufficiently certain that this is the case to induce your Committee to rely entirely on (he Australian market, and they are of opinion that, whilst a failure to raise capital in England would not genera] ly prejudice the un'e: taking iv Austra'ia, su h a future in Australia might be viewed with s»S) li'ion in Knaland.

Your Committee further recommend that a quantity of coal should be despatched home as !«oon as possible. If it is possible wilh present appliances to ob'ain such a cargo from the Buller reserve, thej would prefer obtaining it there; if not (iarne samples from the Buller) a carg> from some other more accessible part of tbe field should, they think, be sent. (Signed) Henry Adams. Chairman — Nehon Examiner.