15

C—2

The following is a statement showing the quantity of quartz crushed and tungsten concentrates obtained during 1921 :■■■■

Iron. During the year the Onakaka Iron and Steel Company was engaged upon the construction of a blast-furnace installation on its lease at Onakaka. situated near Parapara, between Takaka and Collingwood. A. description of this installation is contained in the report of Mr. J. F, Downey, Inspector of Mines, which appears in Annexure A hereto. The limonite deposit of this locality is of great extent, and is estimated in " Iron-ore Resources of the World," vol. 2, p. 889, published by the International Geological Congress, to contain 64,000,000 metric tons, of which about 30,000,000 tons occur in the Onakaka Block. At Onakaka the ore and crystalline limestone flux occur at an altitude of about 1,200 ft. above the works, and they are conveyed thereto by aerial tramway 8,000 ft. in length. On the 26th April, 1922, the blast furnace was blown in, and was kept in blast until the 4th May, about 80 tons of pig iron being produced. The furnace-charge consisted of Onakaka limonite, Onakaka crystalline limestone flux, and coke from Wallsend Colliery, Borehole seam, New South Wales, containing 0-37 per cent, sulphur. The results attained were very satisfactory, a soft grey marketable foundry pig iron being produced, as shown by the following analyses of samples taken by me and analysed by Dr. J. S. Maclaurin, Dominion Analyst. No doubt after a more extended run the quality of the iron would have been even better.

Table showing the Chemical Composition of Onakaka Pig-iron (tapped 29th April, 1922), and, for comparison, that of the Principal Brands of Foundry Pig-iron manufactured elsewhere.

Analyses of Ore, Flux, and Slac. iron-ore Crystalline lime- Slag Irom (Limonite). atone (Flux). Furnace. Silica (SiO 2 ) •■ ■• •• •• •• •■ 12-13 10-2(> 40-03 Alumina (A 1 2 0 3) .. .. .. .. .. 2-7!) 2-12 12-87 Ferrous oxide (FeO) . . .. .. .. .. . . .. 2-73 Fcrrie oxide (F0 2 0 3 ) .. .. .. .. .. 7Hi(i* 1-76 Titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) •■ ■• ■• ■• ■• 0-20 0-17 0-49 Lime (CaO) . . .. .. . . . . . . 0-10 47-10 40-27 Magnesia (MgO) .. .. .. .. .. 0-33 . 1-24 h<) Phosphorus pentoxido (P 2 0 5 ) .. .. .. .. 0-23 0-07 0-10 Manganous oxide (MnO) . . . . . . . . . . 0-72 . . 0-45 Calcium sulphide (C'aS) .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 2-54 Sulphur (8) .. .. .. .. .. .. 0-13 0-21 Loss on ignition.. .. .. .. .. .. 12-01 :!7-l8 100-30 100-11 100-67 * Equivalent to metallic iron, 50-16. Cinnabar. Operations by the New Zealand Quicksilver Mines (Limited) .at I'uhipuhi, North Auckland, were principally in the nature of development. During the year 1,5751b. of quicksilver, of nominal value £231, was obtained. Three small parties operating in the same locality were engaged in unproductive work. In the Greenvale Survey District a discovery of cinnabar was made by J. B. Graham and party, who have since been engaged prospecting the deposit. PUTEOLEUM. No drilling was done by the Taranaki Oil-wells (Limited) and the Blenheim Oil Company (Limited), at Moturoa, both companies having gone into liquidation.

Name of Mine or Company, Locality. Quartz j crushed. ] Scheelite Concentrates Value, obtained. Dominion Consolidated Company* .. Wakamarina, Marlborough .. Black and MePherson .. . • Glenorehy, Lake County Logan and Paulin .. . . .. „ ,, John Trip]) . . . . . . . . ,, ,, Northcoat and Paulin . . . . ,, ,, A. Hood .. .. . • Birse Brothers .. .. .. ,, ,, Tripp and Gaskell .. .. . . ,, ,, Glenorehy Scheelite Company.. .. ,, ,, Tons. 430 Tons. cwt. lb. £ s. d. 15 0 0 750 0 0 4 4 0 168 0 0 1 9 41 73 8 3 3 12 15 180 6 8 0 12 32 30 14 4 2 12 0 130 0 0 1 0 51 51 2 9 0 13 29 33 3 0 9 4 0 368 0 0 45 Totals .. 475 38 7 56 ' 1,784 16 0 * In addition to scheelite concentrate, gold to the value of £1,3 190 9s. 8d. wa s obtained.

Chemical Composition per Cent. Brand of Pig Iron. Iron. Graphitic Combined ani„ rtT , PhosCarbon. Carbon. BUiam. p_ mvn „. Sulphur. M n a °8 a - Kind of Iron. Onakaka, sample 2 Carron, Scotland (as imported to New Zealand) Ditto Summerloe (as imported to New Zealand) Lithgow (lloskius), New South Wales, 1914 Characteristic samples quoted in \ " The Manufacture and Proper-1 ties of Iron and Steel," by H. H. j Campbell ) Alabama 92-10 91-82 \____ ■ .. 2-89 0-19 3-92 0-22 3-50 0-14 2-80 0-70 0-04 0-64 0-035 1-00 Foundry. No. I foundry. 92-63 92-03 3-35 0-20 i 2-15 0-70 3-00 0-25 2-75 0-80 0-06 0-91 0-03 0-85 No. 2 foundry. No. 3 foundry. 2-00 0-85 0-03 100 Foundry. I No. 1 grey. No. 2 grey. 92-37 92-31 3-52 0-13 l 2-44 1-25 2-99 0-37 2-52 1-08 0-02 0-28 0-02 0-72 3-49 0-07 2-8 to 3-5 No. 1 foundry.