N.Z. LABOUR PARTY

Stratford Evening Post, Volume II, Issue 223, 19 April 1933, Page 3

N.Z. LABOUR PARTY

Annual Conference

CRITICISM OF GOVERNMENT

Mr. Langstone New President

Press Association— Copyright Auckland, April IS.—The annual conference of the New Zealand Labour Party was continued to-day, Mr. P. Fraser, M.P., presiding. One of the keenest discussions of the day took place on the Government's policy of raising the school age. The conference unanimously decided to reaffirm the party's objection to the raising of the school age from five to six years on the grounds that this action on the part of the Coalition Government was inimical to the best interests of the children, parents and teachers alike and increased the difficulties of school committees.

The proposal that it should be the function of a State bank to bring aoout a progressive reduction in interest was referred to the committee appointed to revise the policy of the party. A similar course was taken with a proposal to extend the functions of the State Advances Office to include the provision of all the credit necessary for the establishment of secondary industries natural to and in the interests of the Dominion as a whole. Mr. F. Langstone, M.P., Waitomo, was elected president in succession to Mr. W. J. Jordan, M.P., and Mr. C. L. Carr, M.P., was elected vice-president.

The possibilities of opening considerable areas of gold-bearing country in Central Otago are discussed by Mr. E. 0. Macpherson, of the New Zealand Geological Survey, in an article in the New Zealand Science Journal. The writer points out that so far the gold resources of the province have been worked near the surface only, and he expresses the view that large scale mining operations can be developed if some method can be evolved to determine cheaply the location of the leads. Following a survey of the Manukerikia, Ida Valley and Maniototo basins, the author notes that the old workings in the alluvial fields show that only a very small part of the margins of these valleys has been tested and that in the small part already tested the results have been encouraging. This indicates, he says, that further prospecting is justified. "A prospecting campaign must be comprehensive," he adds, "and should include geological and geophysical surveys, followed by prospect drilling, pitting and trenching. A scheme should be framed extending over several years. A financially weak company would only be courting failure if it undertook the work. It is the task of a big mining corporation or a State department.

"In a region of approximately 650 square miles it is difficult to know just where to commence drilling. The information gathered from the geophysical and geological studies will provide clues; in addition, we have to consider the locations of the old mining fields. These will be useful guides, for their sites are usually defined by pay-stroaks in the quartz conglomerates, although the conglomerates are not now outcropping." The author advocates core-drilling, mentioning that drilling methods and materials have been much improved In the last five years. "Depth to various horizons, probable attitude of beds, the position of the ground-water table—all this information should be collected," he says. "The values will fluctuate and areas of barren ground will be located, but this is common in metal-mining. It is the pay-streaks and the ore-shoots that make mining profitable. Many failures must be expected, but it is the successful mines which become national assets; and by concentrating on preliminary prospecting the percentage of failures decreases and that of successes increases. In prospecting, results will come slowly at first; but, as data are accumulated from various sources, knowledge of the structure, habit, direction and persistence of pay-streaks will become clearer. The great advantage in studying a deposit of this extent is that, when prospecting and mining problems are overcome in one part, the experience can be applied to the whole region. Tho pioneer miners prospected the margins of the depression; we have to continue this work armed with better tools and methods. A tinge of the romantic optimism of the pioneer miners would also help us in the task."