MONEY IN MINERALS.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 221, 17 September 1924, Page 9

MONEY IN MINERALS.

I INCREASED PRODUCTION. MORE BULLION PRODUCED. (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, Tuesday. The annual statement of the Mines Department, laid on the table of the House to-day, shows that during the past year the value of minerals, including kauri gum, exported and of coal used in the Dominion amounted to • £3,423,927, as compared with £3,171,105 during 1922. The total value of such minerals exported to the end. of 1923 amounted to £153,268,184. The bullion produced during the year •was greater in quantity by 171,903 ounces and in value .by £162,182 than in 1922. The increase was almos 4 -, -wholly from quartz mining in "the Waihi borough. The yield from alluvial mining continued to decline, and -was less by 1756 ounces in quantity and £9086 in value than the previous year. Dredging produced 15,75S ounces, encouraging further prospecting for dredging areas, and led to a considerable amount of drilling in other areas. More Coal Produced. / The output of coal from the coal mines of the Dominion shows a satisfactory increase for the year, stated the Minister. He added that the increase was very marked in the northern inspection disItrict, the output for the year being 113,712 tons in excess of the output for 1922, the total increase of brown coal for the Dominion being 150,027 tons. The production of bituminous coal for the year was 32,741 tons less than for the previous year, due to an industrial dispute which led to most of the mines in the West Coast district being closed for the last quarter of the year. This mainly accounts for the reduced pro- . per person employed below ■ ground for 1923, and had such a stoppage not occurred there would have been a very large increase over the previous year in the amount of bituminous coal • produced. The output of lignite continued to decline. The amount of coal ; imported was 445,792 tons, which is 55,686 tons less than during 1922. The Blackball.mine, which had to close down' the greater part of its working area in December, 1922, on account of a serious underground fire, was successfully reopened in March, and by the end of the year practically all the workings had been recovered, In or about the coal mines in the' Dominion 5000 persons were ordinarily employed last year. Five fatal accidents occurred during the year, and thirty-two Other persons were seriously injured. Fatal accidents were at the rate of 1.00 per thousand persons employed in the British Isles, where the fatality rate for 'coal mines is about the lowest' in the I world. The average rate for the last i decade was 1.15 per thousand. Of serij ous non-fatal accidents in the coal mines I , in the Dominion, eye accidents form a, - very large percentage. It is, a matter j for serious concern that roughly onehalf of the accidents to hewers are eye accidents. Why Coal'is Imported. A complaint was made by Mr. H. E. Holland that for every four tons of coal produced in New Zealand we imported one ton without any reason, because the Dominion could produce all coal necessary for the country's nee,'with proper organisation of the coal industry. -The Hon. G. J. Anderson, 3«Unistcr ol Mines, said, everyone .regretted the "* importation of coal. There never .would be importations had it been possible to make arrangements for forward deliveries of the Jarge quantities of soal required not only by the Railways Department, which was the largest ' buyer, but by gas works and various industrial organisations. It was, however, impossible to-day to do that, deferring to the Co-operative Mines at Seddonville, the Minister said the mines I had found ■ difficulty in disposing of their coal, apparently because they had. not business experience. . The Government had endeavoured to help them, but this had not always been a fortunate thing for the State. - Mr. Holland drew attention ,to the • fact that since 1918 the cost of bringing a ton of coal to the surface had not 1 ieen given; In 1918 the cost was. 15/4 per ton, of which- .7/1 represented wages, but no figures were: available einee then. ' •'" Mr. Anderson promised that the figures-would be included in. next year's