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1942. NEW ZEALAND.

MINES STATEMENT BY THE HON. P. C. WEBB, MINISTER OF MINES.

Me. Speaker,— I have the honour to present to Parliament the annual statement on the mining industry of the Dominion for the year ended 31st December, 1941. The Statement lias been considerably reduced in size owing to the need for conserving paper.

MINERAL PRODUCTION. The following statement shows the quantity and value of the production of metalliferous mines, stone-quarries under the Stone-quarries Act, and of coal-mines during 1941 and 1940 : —

GOLD AND SILVER MINING. No statistical data concerning gold and silver production is being published this year. The decision not to publish these figures was made pursuant to a request made to the Government by another authority and follows the procedure adopted during the last war. There have been no outstanding activities in the industry during the year. The dredging industry has been well maintained, and a few new dredges were put into commission. Early in the present year further consideration was given to the question of dredging policy and a statement made that in future it would be advisable for persons taking up areas with a view to testing their dredging possibilities to inquire as to the likelihood of dredging being permitted, and if so, as to the conditions which would be imposed upon any license which might be granted, before incurring any substantial expenditure on prospecting and boring. The Government has decided that where areas applied for as dredging claims contain good or potentially good farming-land, resoiling, or at the least resurfacing, of the dredged land will be made a condition of any license, even if compliance therewith would render dredging operations uneconomical. MINING PRIVILEGES. A total of 387 licenses for mining privileges were granted under the provisions of the Mining Act, a decrease of 38 on the previous year. Of the licenses granted in 1941, 49 were licenses entitling the holders to mine for gold and included 6 special dredging claims. Altogether 47 mining privileges, including 11 claim licenses and 16 water-race licenses, were struck off the registers under section 188 of the Mining Act.

1941. 1940. Mineral. Quantity. J Value. Quantity. Value. £ £ Gold and silver ...... * * * * Platinum .. .. .. .. 35 oz. 286 Iron-ore .. .. .. .. 1,544 tons 3,894 tons 2,888 Stone .. .. .. .. .. 528,313 .. 540,820 Pumice .. .. .. .. 3,160 ,, 11,226 3,166 „ 10,341 Goal .. .. ... .. 2,639,507 „ 2,639,507 2,516,099 „ 2,516,099 Tungsten-oro .. .. .. 67^,, 13,463 74 ,, 16,006 Manganese-ore .. .. .. 752-j b ;j„ 2,995 3,266 Silica sand .. .. .. .. 2,034 ,, 2,756 l,354|g„ 1,569 Fuller's earth .. .. .. 382 71 ,, 248 Diatomaceous earth .. .. .. 508 Serpentine .. .. .. .. 7,861 „ 6,780 Antimony .. .. .. .. 17 ,, 249 2 ,, 55 Bentonite .. .. .. .. 136 ,, 578 205 „ 820 Quicksilver .. .. .. .. 2J§„ 5,043 Asbestos .. .. .. .. 240 Clays 1,272" „ 1,273 Dolomite .. .. .. .. 2,672 „ 1,336 2,743 „ 1,371 Totals .. .. .. .. £3,218,829 .. £3,093,483 * Not available for publication. Note.—The values shown in the above and subsequent tables are expressed in New Zealand currency.