MOUNTAIN OF COAL

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16873, 9 February 1929, Page 14

MOUNTAIN OF COAL

RICH FIND IN WAIKATO QUALITY REPORTED EXCELLENT Wlmt is described as one of the rich rst coal finds i.i New Zealand has been located about live miles west of Ngaruawania, on the property of two local farmers, Messrs. Catavich and Kemp. During the past few weeks there lias been considerable activity at the property, which has been visited by Government officials and experts from different parts of the Dominion. It is stated that in ail 17 different seams of rich coal have been located, which, in thickness, average 10ft, and extend for lj miles in length and for over a mile in width. Samples of the coal have been analysed, and the quality is reported as the highest grade in New Zealand for fixed carbon and the lowest for water and ash content. The Government trifle assesses the fixed carbon at 45.43, the volatile hydro-carbon at 38.2 2, water at 15.18, ash at 1.17, and sulphur at 0.35. The farm is under heavy bush, amongst which there are prolific outcrops of coal. The timber will not only be a fine milling asset, but will be extremely useful for providing mining props, if opened up as a mine. The countrv is mostly hilly, with many faces, imo which drives can easily he made,, thus avoiding all the expensive shafting work and pumping so common in niauv other mines in New Zealand. 7 XOO,OOO TONS TRACED. The fact of the property being so far from the railway line might be regarded by some as a disadvantage, but experts declare that this difficulty can easily be overcome by the construction of an aerial tramway into Ngaruawahia. The quantity of workable coal is estimated at between 7,000X00 and 8.000,000 tons. This quantity lias been actually traced, but it is ‘ highly probable that the seams continue on beneath a wide area of country. With the rapidly growing scientific knowledge of coal by-products, this vast deposit should prove source of great wealth to Waikato.—Waikato Times.