150 
Geology and Physical Geography . 
The coal of the Moe seam having a greater thickness, and a 
better “ holing,” can be mined at a cheaper rate, while that of 
the Mirboo seam, with its specially Convenient thickness, should 
be excavated for still less. 
The general conclusion that I have arrived at is that, though 
Victoria may never compete with New South Wales as regards 
export trade, she nevertheless possesses within her own territory 
resources of coal supply sufficient for the greater proportion of 
her own wants. These resources will be more and more developed 
with the extension of railways into South Gippslaml. 
' The main cause for doubt as to the coal from the small-sized 
Victorian seams being mined at a profit consists in the fact, that 
all coal produced in Victoria must be conveyed a greater or less 
distance by railway, and it is possible that the cheaply-mined coal 
from the large seams of New South Wales, conveyed by water 
carriage from the mines to Melbourne, can be placed on the market 
at a price which would not pay the Victorian coal miner. Against 
this may be set the higher value of the Victorian coal for steam 
and household purposes, and the power that could bo exercised by 
the Stato — without resorting to extreme protective measures — of 
fostering the industry by conveying the product at a nominal rate 
from the mines to Melbourne, along such railway lines as now 
exist or may hereafter bo constructed. This would probably be 
found to work better than eithor imposing a duty on imported coal 
or giving a direct bonus for that produced in Victoria. 
Lignites. 
Some of our lignito deposits may eventually prove of value. 
The Lai Lai lignite does not seem to have found favour as a fuel, 
but is now being utilized in the manufacture of an excellent 
deodorant. The McKirley’s Creek lignite in Gippslaml is said 
to yield per ton 6,000 to 8,000 feet of a gas which gives a light 
equal in power to that of coal gas. There is likely to be found 
an extensive deposit of this lignite beneath the volcanic country of 
Neerim and Buln Buln. 
Very extensive lignite deposits occur along the La Trobe, in the 
Tarwin Valley, and along the foot of the ranges east of the Tarra 
River in South Gippsland. These may at some future date prove 
valuable, either as fuel or sources of gas supply. 
At Toongabbie is a bed of lignite, together with a layer re-, 
sembling a bituminous clay, which latter, on analysis, yields a 
very high percentage of illuminating oil. It is, in fact, a sort of 
kerosene shale, though of far more recent geological age than that 
of New South Wales, being Upper Tertiary, whereas the latter is 
Upper Palaeozoic in geological position. 
By Authority : Rout. S. Braim, Government Printer, Melbourne. 
