GREATER OUTPUT OF COAL

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22201, 18 September 1937, Page 16

GREATER OUTPUT OF COAL

RETURN FOR SIX MONTHS MINISTER GRATIFIED BY RECOVERY [From Our Parliamentary Reporter.J WELLINGTON. September 17. The output of coal from the principal New Zealand mines during the first six months of this year exceeded 1.000,000 tons, an increase of almost .15,000 tons, over the corresponding period last year. This production maintained in employment an average of 4346 workers—underground and on the surface. The Minister for Mines (the Hon. P. C. Webb) said in an interview to-day that returns from various coalfields showed that South Island mines had increased their outputs by 62,000 tons, while production in the North Island -had decreased by 27.513 tons. The total production was 1,088.853 tons. "An appreciable feature of the industry this year is that for the comparative periods under review importations of coal dropped by 7289 tons i'rom 54.250 tons to 47.061 tons," said Mr Webb, "but against that satisfactory gain our exports of coal decreased from 26,880 tons in the first tix months of last year to 21,431 tons during the first half of this year, a drop of 5449 tons. In view of the enormous increase in the use of electric power and heat throughout the Dominion the coal-mining results are good. "As Minister for Mines I would have been better pleased had the industry been able to employ more hands; the j increase in the average number of workers was only 114, compared with the average total during the corresponding period in 1936," he added. "Still it is gratifying to know that the industry is sharing In the national industrial recovery." j,,