COAL RESOURCES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12637, 23 May 1919, Page 8

COAL RESOURCES.

DOMINION’S PROVED.AND PROBABLE SUPPLY. . NOT SUFFICIENT. FOR FUTURE ,-■ GENERATIONS. ' [Pj!B Pam Association.] , ' WELLINGTpN ) ;May : 22. ■;' An important -.statement was ie the Industries Committee to-day.by Mr! P. J. Morgan, Director .of ~ Geological Survey, in regard to -the coal: resource's; of the Dominion; Mr Morgad iaid that in 1890.Sir James; Hector estimated, tlio workable coal in . New. - ’-Zealand; ;at 443.000. vHe vbaised ithisvesti--mate on data showing that thevcoal in the ground; waskßß6/QOO.OOO; tons; ~ln 1910 Professor; James ■ Park estimatedthe workablo. coal iu 'New.-.Zeaiand’ to be 1,082,089,000 tens, and in 1911, the speaker estimated the proved coal in New Zealand at 1,001,000,000.tbn5,- and -■ the, probable coal etvr, an;,additional 2.386.000. tons; yHe had ; now item tatiyely recast hmcstimate; -reducing ;it to .’bedrock results;; ■ rUnfdrttoately.Hhey we l e :.l*y HO; means-’ reassuring... They were/embodied in- the following; table;, of coal in workable shams-(the figures representing tonS)::~ Hlafflof bo-il. ‘Prbvedl • Probable/' Possible. 'AiUawite . Very'ditte Vary little/ aiall • Eihinoas l«7;0<fOjO0(J '4T-7,000j000--SCod^aite ibitumin •■6^ajo^^OM,XKW - J£Ba«*te Brown . 194;OOOjOOO Lignite , - 161,000,006 430,000,000 Large--Total* . 610,060,000 1,831,000,000 Large The present yearly production of coal in New Zealand was about - 2,000,000 tons, hut had it not been. for the war it would probably • have', reached 2,600,000 toAs in-1918. If it is assumed that the future production will'increase at , the rate of 5 .per pent per annum (thus doubling i.itsejf every .;.-fourteen years: or.. preyed coal is exhausted, ' and wiR-then decrease in the same ratio ■ until/all -the coal is worked, the date of exhaustion m ay: be automatically calculated. If no coal is lost in mining, then on the assumption, made half, of,- the .-proved coal will be mined, rin forty-four years and, a half, and/all in e%hty-nine/yeiars. If all the probable coal actually exists, and can be mined, half the coal-supply will last a little over v,seventy-seven years, - but, all- will be exhausted,- in -155 years. /•;.?/ ' .-..v---these figures show that ;.the-known coal supply 0f.,. New. Zealand-is. inadequate for future generations'. = Mr. Morgan, however, coimiders /the -.situation worse than the-figures seem to ./show, :as more than half; tlie-.moaHinrthe:aground cannot be mined .under prasentr-.condi - tions: He estimates.that":the. actual amount that can bo mined is 85,000,000 tons of bituminous and semi-bituminous coal, and 100,000,000 tons .of brown coal and. lignite-' This-will,be. exhausted in fifty years; or. les?,-.,unlesa methods of extraction .ape found. ..Tlie only remedy is; vigorous- prospecting for new fields, which must be done by the Government. To cover the cost h© suggests a levy of one penny per ton. He also, favours State ownership of coal and suggests legislation to. prevent exorbitant royalties by private owners, Mr Morgan ' further estimates the cost of purchasing the present coal mines" at £3,000,000.