STATE COAL MINES

Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14406, 13 July 1912, Page 8

STATE COAL MINES

PROFIT AND LOSS

GREYMOUTH DEALER'S CRITICISM.

(SPECIAL TO "THE PRESS.") GREYMOUTH, July 12

In conversation with a Greymouth "Evening Star" reporter this morning, a coal dealer gave some interesting information concerning tho price of coal.

He said that before the State Coal Mines started ho paid the Tyneside, or Brunner Proprietary, lls per ton for face coal, 13s per ton for screened coal. "When the State mine started ho I paid 12s for face coal. The late Mr Seddon, when advocating tho opening of the State mine, said that the intention was to reduce the price of coal to tho consumer. It -would seem, however, by tho prices quoted above, that the dealers were paying more for State coal than they were for Tyneside and Brunner. but such was the competition engendered that the consumer actually did receive the coal at a considerable redaction. Two years ago the prieo of State coal, both faco and. screened, was raised Is per ton, and now an additional 2s has. been put on, thus making a total increase of 3s per ton since the State mine started. • When the attention of the State mine management was drawn to tho differences in price between the Tyneside faco coal and* tho State faco coal, they replied that the State face coal was quite equal iii value- to tho Tyneside screened, but, of course, that-was a matter of opinion. It cost the Tyneside Proprietary 6s a ton to bring the coal to the nit's mouth, and 2s, a ton for haulage, so that they were getting a profit of '5s ,a ton on the coal. Reasons for the increase, in price for the State coal were the increased cost of labour and production. The truth of the matter seemed to be, however, that the receipts and expenditure of the .State mine were considered as a whole. The -Point Elizabeth- mine, showed a profit of about £19.000 for the year, whereas those at West-port showed a corresponding loss of about £12.000. Therefore, the mines as a whole wero worked at a baro profit. This was not a business way of stating the ■ matter. • The .Point Elizabeth mine and the Wesjfnort mine should bo < considered .separately, and each rest on j its .own ba.ss, and tho losses at West- ! l>ort should, not be made a burden on j the Point Elizabeth mine. I The price that the dealers were paying at .irese-nt for State coal was unreasonable. Nineteen shillings a ton was too iiiuHi for scrwjicd coal. It left them with a profit of 2s a ton, which was not sufficient to pay for"tho , labour. A man emi!d not bag and deliver more than three tons of fo.nl on an average per'day. In Grcymouth for this he received 10s rer day. Then there was the upkeep of a horse and cart, and tbe contingency of bad debts to be considered. ■ JJy'considering the cost of producing a* ton of coal and landing it :n Greymouth, it would be j soon that there wr.s a big leakage ; somewhere. The cost of labour would ■ bo about 2s 6d a ton, officials' wages : 2s 6d, contingencies Is, haulage 2s; j total, 8s per ton. Thnt was to say. j that it cost the State Ss per ton, and '. they charged the dealers 15s for faca : coal.. What was wanted was to run j tho Point Elizabeth mine separately j from tho West port one, arid manage j tile business on sound commerci..l- lines. PARENTSSTARTLED. "My wife, and I were quite startled by hearing our litfle girl cough a real croupy cough." writes R. A. Young, ■ Cudal. N.S.W. "1 at once got a bottle : of Chamberlain's Cough Remedy and gave it to her. In the morning' then was no sign of croup and her rapidly left her." Sold by all chemists J and storekeepers.