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export duty of 12s. 6d. per ounce credited to the Consolidated Fund, £116,888 17s. 7d. ; duty on scrap gold and jewellers' sweepings credited to Consolidated Fund, £2,123 17s. sd. ; duty credited to the War Expenses Account, £88,564 6s. The duty credited to the War Expenses Account imposed by the Customs Act Amendment, 1939, dated 29th September, 1939, represents 75 per cent, of the amount by which the New Zealand currency value of the London market price exceeds £9 ss. Bd. (New Zealand currency). MINING PRIVILEGES. Interest is still being maintained in the mining industry, although the number of licenses granted has decreased. During the year ended 31st March, 1940, 537 licenses for mining privileges were granted under the provisions of the Mining Act, 1926, as compared with 568 for the previous year. Out of this number 90 were licenses for claims authorizing the holders to mine for gold. For the same period 171 mining privileges, including 39 licenses for claims, were struck off the registers under the provisions of section 188 of the Act. PETROLEUM OIL. From the Nos. 1, 2, and 4 wells of Moturoa Oilfields, Ltd., at Moturoa, Taranaki, 103,631 gallons of crude petroleum oil was obtained. From the Kotuku field on the West Coast of the South Island 800 gallons was recovered. The Dominion's total production of crude petroleum oil to 31st December, 1939, is estimated at 2,988,081 gallons. Since the passing of the Petroleum Act in 1937 a thorough and intensive search for oil in the Dominion has been prosecuted. In contrast with previous attempts, the work now being undertaken is being carried out with the most modern equipment which is being operated by expert and scientifically trained staffs. Altogether 65 licenses to prospect for oil have been granted over an aggregate area of 11,500 square miles in the North Auckland, Oisborne, Taranaki, Hawke's Bay, Wellington, West Coast (South Island), and Otago districts. Two modern drilling-plants are at present in the Dominion, one capable of boring to 10,000 ft. and the other to a depth of 15,000 ft. One hole at Totangi, near Gisborne, was drilled to a depth of 5,700 ft., but because of unfavourable conditions had to be abandoned. The plant was then shifted to Morere, where the drilling of a second hole was commenced. Two holes were drilled in the North Auckland district, the depths being 837 ft. and 1,461 ft. respectively. Plans were well advanced towards the end of the year for drilling a hole at Midhirst, in the Taranaki district. Apart from drilling, intensive geophysical and geological investigations, topographical surveys, and palaeontological examinations have been made, and large areas have been geologically mapped by licensees. Altogether 132 persons were employed, consisting mainly of technical staff. COAL-MINING. There were 152 coal-mines operating in the Dominion in 1939. Sixty-nine of these mines are situated on freehold property and produced 1,026,095 tons or 44 per cent, of the total output. The remaining 83 mines are situated on Crown lands and produced 1,316,544 tons, or 56 per cent, of the total output of 2,342,639 tons. The annual production of coal since 1930 has been as follows :— Year. Tons. Year. Tons. 1930 .. .. 2,542,092 1935 .. .. 2,115,184 1931 .. .. 2,157,756 1936 .. .. 2,140,217 1932 .. .. 1,842,.022 1937 .. .. 2,277,799 1933 .. .. 1,821,258 1938 .. .. 2,222,088 1934 .. .. 2,060,315 1939 .. .. 2,342,639 The increase in output for 1939 is 5-15 per cent, above the figure for 1938. The quantity of coal imported into New Zealand in 1939 was 111,537 tons, as compared with 109,206 tons for the previous year, an increase of 2,331 tons.

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