50 I'UKSIDENTIAL ADDltKiSS SECTION B. 



trade might easily be curried on, were adequate facilities for 

 dealing with such traffic available. 



As I showed in a recent paper read before the Geological 

 Society, there has recently been proved in the Transvaal, by 

 systematic boring, a large extension of the Witbank Coal Field, in 

 which has been definitely located not less than a thousand million 

 tons of high grade coal, which is so easily accessible that it could 

 be got out in almost any desired quantity just as soon as a 

 market and a suitable outlet can be found. In this case it 

 happens that, although a big new mining field has been proved 

 and made ready for exploitation, its further development is sus- 

 pended because of the absence of transport facilities, or from other 

 causes, so that the full development of such a mining field often 

 lies outside the power of the geologist and mining engineer. 



However, it would be much more difficult to create a coal 

 field than to improve existing means of transport, so that, no 

 doubt, the difficulties in the way of the further development of 

 our coal resources will be overcome. 



Before leaving the subject, it may, however, be interesting 

 to note that the influence of an important mining field extends 

 beyond the sphere of ordinary commercial or industrial activity. 

 Sooner or later a stage is reached when assistance is required 

 from branches of scientific work other than geology or ordinary 

 mining practice. In the case of the Rand particularly, the devel- 

 opment of the gold field to its present stage has had important 

 results in connection with matters with which we perhaps, as 

 workers in various fields of science, are more directly concerned. 



In the domain of chemistry and metallurgy, the problem of 

 treating the pyritic gold ores of the Hand, which arose early in 

 the history of the field, stimulated the work of perfecting and 

 extending, if not of initiating, the cyanide treatment of pyritic 

 ores — a process of world-wide application and importance. 



At the present time, the problems connected with mining at 

 depths much greater than usually attained — problems which arc 

 likely to attain still greater importance in the future, particularly 

 those connected with ventilation and transport — give scope for new 

 applications of science in special branches of engineering. 



The former prevalence of silicosis among white miners has, in 

 the domain of medicine, led to special research in connection with 

 this occupational disease, which has resulted in a much better 

 understanding of the conditions under which it arises, and in 

 almost eliminating it from the list of the many dangers attendant 

 on mining operations. 



The utilization of great numbers of natives in mining work, 

 and the importance of safeguarding them as far as possible from 

 diseases to which they are more particularly liable, such as pneu- 

 monia, has led to organized i-esearch which has achieved most 

 important results applicable over a much wider sphere. This 

 invaluable work would probably have still remained undone, had 

 it not been for the importance attaching to it in connection with 



