COAL IMPORTS.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 19970, 3 July 1930, Page 8

COAL IMPORTS.

MR HOLLAND FEARS DUMPING. GOVERNMENT MAKING ENQUIRIES. [THE PRESS Special Service.j WELLINGTON, July 2. The dumping of Australian coal on the New Zealand market was criticised by Mr H. E. Holland, Leader of the Labour Party, in the House of Representatives to-day. In replying to a question by Mr J. O'Brien (Lab., Westland"*, the Prime Minister (tho Hon. G. W. Forbes) said enquiries were being mado in Australia to ascertain whethor tho circumstances connected with the importation of oal from New South Wales are such as to warrant the imposition of dumping duty under the Customs Amendment Act, 1921. "1 may say," Mr Forbes said, "that tho Government has been and still is very close'' watching the whole position with regard to tho production and importation of coal." Pointing out the danger to the coal mdustry of New Zealand through the dumping of coal from overseas, Mr Kolland said that since the men in the New South Wales coal mines had returned to work after about a year's lock-out they had beon forced i accept lower wages and lower working standards. There was now a Government subsidy of 8s 3d a ton on coal in New South Wales. The possibility had to be faced of coal coming into the country under tho benefit of a Government subsidy and produced by men working under poorer conditions than the New Zealand miners. It was well known that after a peri >f idleness mines were irclined to make a feverish output, and it was possible that Now South Wales would sh< "My have a large surplus of coal. Then New Zealand own ers would say they could not compete with cheap coal from Australia, and they would reduce wages and lower working standards. This woulu then lead to trouble on the coal fields. Coal should be put on exactly the same footing as butter, cheese, or meat. The country could produce every ounce it wanted. It was therefore both uneconomical and extremely foolish to bring coal thousands of miles 'i compete with the local product. Both private and State mines would suffer- The Government should inform the coal mine iwners of New South Wales that it did not want coal sent into the country at aIL While the Prime Minister said that investigations were being made, coal kept coming in. The assistance of the Government did not benefit the Australian miner at all and enormous harm could be done in New Zealand through the dumping of coal.