OUR GOAL RESOURCES.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 14047, 18 July 1916, Page 4

OUR GOAL RESOURCES.

• . — . — » - THEIR. EepNOMTC USE, ''Coal Resource.-* of IVeAV Zealand, with some consideration of their economic use," Avas the title of an instructive, lecture delivered by Mr P. G. Morgan, M.A., F.G.S., before the Technological section off the Philosophical n . Society at Wellington. " Coal, said the lecturer,, was found m .many- -parts of, NeW Zealand, * and he quoted tlie folloAving figures to show the estimated amount of coal : Known coal, 891,000,000. tons, less 42,000,000- tons worked ; probable deposits j 2,-386,000,000 ; possible deposits j laa-ge. The estimated amount bL" Cba"t iii Great Britain Avas between 178,727,000>000 arid 197,000,000,000 tolis. In comparison with the present annual production of "coal m I\ T ew Zealand, tlie reserves'- of coal Avere large, but considering that the population and manufacturing trades AA'ere increasing the supply was not sufficient to last for' more than 140 or 150 years. 'Fresh coalfields Avould doubtless be discovered which might extend the life of XeAV Zealand coa-fjelds to 200 or 3CO years. As compared with Great Britain, our supplies of coal- were smadl. The speaker Avent on to refer to the A'arioris uses of coal m • New Zealand, and pointed out that considerable waste Avas". going on,! both as regards that actually "burncid and the coal left m the'" 'ground as unsaleable. He suggested -A*avioris * means • by Arjjich waste could -be prevented and be'ttei* use rtie.de of ' the coal: For instancy,.. ft.he briquettirig of coal' cost only a fcwjs,l\il--iiigs per ton m England, but when tried m Now Zealand it cost 16s 7d pel* ton. There seemed little reason A\*hy this cost should not be considerably reduced and briquetting: m- New Zea-land made a commercial proposition. . , A mother method 6f using friable or soft coat Avoti'd be to convert, it into coalite,, which was. found i|ii England' fo .be S'el-y suitable for' household use. - ( Aiiother method AVduld be to pulverise the coal to fine dust and use it for dust fire.; The lecturer, also suggested that greater use should be made of producer gas, veto.