COAL EXHAUSTION

Southland Times, Issue 19772, 21 February 1923, Page 5

COAL EXHAUSTION

DOMINION’S DANGER NEED FOR ELECTRICAL POWER (Per United Press Association.) AUCKLAND, February 20. The fuel problem of New Zealand formed the subject of the presidential address by Mr .Ashley Hunter at the Civil Engineers’ Conference. He said the population of the Dominion sixty years hence would probably be over 4,000,000. The probable quantity of coal still in New Zealand was 560,000,000, 255,000,000 being practically certain. If the whole demand had to be met from New Zealand mines the proved coal would be exhausted in sixty years. The probable supplies would only last about, another fifty years. The only way to conserve coal resources was the substitution, wherever possible, of hydro-electric energy. The speaker said that 253,000 tons of coal were conserved during the year 1921-22 by schemes in operation. About 33 per cent, of ths Dominion’s future consumption might possib’y be replaced by hydro-electric energy. Each horse-power would result in a possible saving-of about eight tons of coal yearly. To effect this, the capacity of plants would have to be not less than one tenth horse-power per capita. To further conserve coal resources the Government should insist on more scientific and systems! ic methods of mining and extracting higher percentage of coal, while no new mine should be de eloped before a whole field had been properly explored by systematic boring, and the plan of future working mapped out.