III.— GEOLOGY. 



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Abt. XXI. — The Geological History of New Zealand. 



By Captain F. W. Hutton, F.E.S. 



[Read before the Otago Institute, 10th October, 1899.] 



If I were to ask you the question, " Why does every civihsed 

 Government establish a geological survey?" I expect you 

 would answer, " To develope the muieral resources of the 

 country." This no doubt is true, but I wish to point out that 

 any geological survey which makes the discovery of economic 

 minerals its primary object is sure to be a failure. That is, if 

 its attention is directed to special details, it can never ascer- 

 tain the true geological structure of the whole country ; while 

 it is necessary to know the geological structure and history of 

 a large district before a satisfactory opinion can be given on 

 the mineral capabilities of any particular locality. But the 

 geological history of a large district cannot be learnt without 

 extending the survey through the whole of it, and into parts 

 of the country in which there are no minerals, for one part of 

 the history will be learnt in one place, and another part in an- 

 other place ; so that it is only by an extended and systematic 

 survey that the whole history can be put together. And I 

 repeat that until the geological history of a district is known 

 the opinion of a trained geologitet on its economic resources 

 can be of no more value than that of any experienced miner. 



It follows, therefore, that the primary and fundamental 

 object of a geological survey is to make a systematic investi- 

 gation into the structure and paleontology of the whole 

 country in sufficient detail for its geological history to be as- 

 certained with considerable accuracy. The contrary system, 

 of examining local mineral deposits first, is very much like 

 marking out allotments and sections for sale on a map without 

 having previously connected them by triangulation, in which 

 case we all know the result will be confusion. It is the same 

 with a geological survey ; and we must remember that of the 

 two parts into which it is divided — the general survey and the 

 subsequent examination of special districts — the first is beyond 

 private enterprise, because no individual has the time, the 

 means, and the inclination to make a systematic investigation 



