C—2
From time to time concern has been expressed that reserves of measured, or, to use the old terminology, proved, recoverable coal are of so low an order in New Zealand. It must, however, be recognized that to establish reserves of this type it is necessary either to block them out by underground development or to define them by close boring, and sound mining practice demands that such reserves should bear some relationship to the scale of the industry and the annual production required. Actually, measured reserves of coal in each class, bituminous, sub-bituminous, and lignite, are sufficient to maintain the present rate of production for a term of years far in excess of those demanded by recognized mining practice, and it is accordingly questionable whether, from some aspects, reserves are accordingly too high rather than too low and there is no justification for the concern expressed. The rise in inferred lignite and sub-bituminous is the result of work in the Ohai and Kaitangata fields. It is considered that these figures represent a more realistic picture than did those of 1946.
The following table shows the quantitative groupings in the various coalfields of New Zealand, set out under the three rank divisions :
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— j Measured. i Indicated. Inferred. Bituminous Buller Murchison Garvey Creek Greymouth 14,000,000 1,000,000 13,000,000 6,500,000 2,300,000 13,000,000 24,300,000 1,500,000 2,200,000 30,000,000 Totals 28,000,000 21,800,000 58,000,000 i Sub-bituminous Northland Huntly Maramarua Mangapehi Tatu Waitewhena Mokau Nelson Buller Gorge Reefton Fletcher Creek Punakaiki Kaitangata Ohai Orepuki 1,300,000 32,000,000 5,000,000 1,500,000 300,000 400,000 200,000 1,000,000 11,000,000 1,700,000 18,000,000 15,000,000 500,000 400,000 2,700,000 6,000,000 1,000,000 3,000,000 65,000,000 20,000,000 1,000,000 12,000,000 60,000,000 2,000,000 1,000,000 5,000,000 3,000,000 2,000,000 227,000,000 100,000,000 1,000,000 Totals 52,700,000 45,300,000 502,000,000 Lignite Charleston .. .. Canterbury North Otago Central Otago Green Island .. .. Kaitangata Pomahaka Mataura Valley 6,000,000 250,000 250,000 250,000 250,000 1,000,000 5,000,000 2,000,000 5,000,000 20,000,000 8,000,000 20,000,000 2,000,000 15,000,000 3,000,000 156,000,000 10,000,000 152,000,000 Totals 13,000,000 27,000,000 366,000,000