CO129-470 - Public Offices - 1921 — Page 93

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The first coal deposit showing any sins of being worta

further investigation occurs at Shiuchow itself; but our t sting

of this showed it to be a small and dirty deposit of crushed anthra-

cite having little economic value. In fact good workable deposite of bituminous coking coal do not occur within a distance of quita

fifty miles further north.

We have located and to some extent tested a field which would we think repay development; but without the definite promise of early rail connection any question of ttempting to open it up

would not be worth further consideration.

:

As confirming our opinion, we would mention that Mr. Mackie, the coal expert from India, who recently came over from an i influential Hongkon, syndicate of the leading users of coal, visit- ed a deposit at Iwangpu. He was only able to stay a few days and could not say much more than that the field showed promising indic-

ations.

Our own engineer nearly a year ago spent some considerable time in carefully investigating deposits in the particular field visited by ur. Mackie, and came to the conclusion that this field is not worth development, the coal bele too dirty, its physical condition bein poor, its calorific quality being low, and mode of occurence erratic, It ha, therefore only its situation in its favour, and yet Mr. Mackie remarked even regarding this field that

ould cost without the continution of the C: nton-Hankow railwy it

D

as much as $13.- a ton to transport the corl from the mine to Hong- kong, part entirely from the cost of prod cpion and any profit.

I would observe that even so, the tonnage of col which could be conveyed without a railway would be infinitesimal, and

T. test tais and indeed none at all for 3 months of the year. other problems we have opened in conjunction with a Chinese gentle-

man a couple of small coal pite in North Kwangtung, which we are still working for experimental purposes,