COAL-MINING INDUSTRY

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22251, 16 November 1937, Page 16

COAL-MINING INDUSTRY

MINISTER'S ANNUAL

STATEMENT

IMPORTATIONS INCREASE

OPERATIONS OF THE STATE

COLLIERIES

The disparity between the increase of a little more than 1 per cent, in the output from New Zealand coal mines during 1936. and the increase of 14 per cent, for the same period j in the -quantity of coal imported into i the Dominion, is commented upon by ithe Minister for Mines (the Hon. P. 'C. Webb) in the Mines Statement. | which was placed on the (able of the 'House of Representatives yesterday. "It appears to me," stated the Minister, "that a disproportionate share of the increase in the coal requirements of the country brought about by increased j prosperity has been enjoyed by the importer as compared with the local producer." The value of minerals exported and of the coal used in the Dominion for the year was £3.691,419. as compared with £3.694.480 during 1935. The following table shows the value of the production of metalliferous mines, stone quarries under the Stone Quarries Act. and of coal mines durmg 1930 and 1935 ,„.,_ 19:50. 193 a. Value. Value. Mineral. ~ £ Gold and silver .. 1,272,5157 1.300,040 Platinum .. .. 187 <J| [V-iron .. .. 2i,tio Stone • •• 342.861 239.274 Pumice ' •• 8.881 8,76!) Coal '•' •• 2,140,217 2,115.184 Tungsten-ore .. 3,448 4,719 Quicksilver • - l J^ Totals .. 3,768,181 3,741,978 There were 195 coal mines operating in the Dominion in 1930. Ninety-four of these mines were situated on freehold property, and produced 964,149 tons or 45 per cent, of the total output. The remaining 101 mines were situated on Crown Lands, and produced 1,176,068 tons, or 55 per cent, of the total output of 2.140,217 tons. The annual production of coal since 1930 had been as follows: Year Tons. 1930 ' .. •. 2,542,092 1931 .. ■• 2.157,756 1932 .. •• 1.842.022 1933 ' .. ' • • 1.821,258 1934 .. .. 2.060,315 1935 .. •• 2,115.184 1936 •- 2.140,217

The increase in output for 1936 was 1.18 per cent, above the figure for

a statement showing the production from West Coast dredges with the total dividends declared to the end of 1938:

-a >s 2S c o Mataki •• 1,724 12.577 7,030 Mataki June. 2,549 18,606 Worksop .. L 920 15,581 12,800 Mossy Creek 2,303 18,875 11,250 Brian Boru .. 43 317 1,350 Brian nor .. n2QQ Maori Gully 1,590 11,646 6,000 New River .. 213 1,431 Nemona .. 987 7,969 3,000 Bundi .. 2,979 21,445 White's Elec. 145 1,055 Stafford .. 1,512 10,967 3,750 Rimu .. 11,516 97,488 98,716 Five-mile Beach 838 6,112 31,500 Gillespie's Beach 2,715 22.256 12,250 [Dividends declared by privatelyowned dredges are not available for publication.] The West Coast dredges recovered in 1936, 34,08002 of sold, valued at £271,797, compared with 29,2870z in 1935. valued at £231,996. In 1936 the southern district dredges recovered 31670z of gold, valued at £23,279, compared with 27750z, valued at £20,427, in 1935.

Alluvial Mining

The following is a statement showing the value of productfcin of and dividends declared by the principal alluvial gold mines during 1936: 1 c 2 3!, 1 4> . a A o -a m T) U?o, |8 S _ J«e2~ iM **2 *,*>% >"E -S #2*B3 hi &} Name of owner oz. £■ £. £. West Coast

I Addison Ex- - ' ploration Ltd. .. 524 4,500 Addison's Flat Gold-mining Co., Ltd. .. 416 3,388 Blackwater Crk. Sluicing Co.. Ltd. 189 1,532 Deep Lead, _„ Ltd. 266 1.898 D i a m o nd's Flat Goldmining Co., Ltd. 119 824 Glenroy Gold, Ltd. .. 108 746 Golden Sands, Ltd. 738 5,968 2,100 5,300 Lawson's Flat Gold-mining Co., Ltd. .. 479 3,360 Moo n light 'G oldflelds, Ltd. •• 730 6,393 Waitahu Goldmining Co., Ltd. 803 5,977 Otago and Southland Arthur's Point Sluicing Co. Ltd. 318 2,281 Golden Arrow Mining Co., Ltd. Jones Nevis* Sluicing Co.. Ltd. 92 684 —Bl3 Kildare Consolid. Goldmining Co., Ltd. 199 1,403 King Solomon Deep Lead, Ltd. .. 1,958 14,588 Macraes Gold- |- mining Co., Ltd. 1,654 11,905 2,750 5,000 Maerewhenua Gold fields D e velo p. Co., Ltd. .. 233 1,858 M o on 1 ight Min. Syn- I dicate 156 1,094 Nokomai Goldmining Co., i Ltd. 1,045 7,329 —' Paddy's Point Gold-mining Co.. Ltd. .. 485 3,509 700 2,101 Round Hill Gcld-mining Co., Ltd. .. 1,831 13,914 9.929 9.929 Sailor's Gully (Waitahuna) Gold-mining Co.. Ltd. .. 409 2.900 630 13,925 San dhills Gold-mining Co.. Ltd. .. 197 1.403 Skippers, Ltd. 442 3.446 W a i mumu Sluicing Co., Ltd. .. 466 3,367 - [lt will be noted that in the majority of cases the dividends declared are unknown.}

1935, and since 1933 a recovery of more than 17 per cent, has taken place. The quantity of coal imported into New Zealand in 1936 was 111,078 tons. This figure represented an increase of 13,680 tons over the figure for 1935, or an increase of 14 per cent. Commenting on the increase in the quantity of coal imported the Minister states: "The increased costs of producing New Zealand coal brought about as the result of increased wages and better conditions introduced by the present Government have no, doubt been partly responsible for the, situation. I sincerely hope that gas ' companies, which are the principal users of imported coal, will still do their utmost to help local industry. "On the other hand. I am gratified to be able to point to a substantial increase in the output of the West Coast bituminous and sub-bituminous mines, the figure for 1936 being 796.763 tons, compared with 752,361 tons for 1935." The output of the several classes of coal mined in the Dominion was as follows:

Total output Output in to the 1936. end of 1936. Class of coal. Tons. Tons. Bituminous and sub-bituminous 858,857 49,836,586 Brown .. 1,150,071 30,992,459 Lignite .. 129,982 5,148,498 Totals . . 2,140,217 85,977,543 • Totals for 1935 2,115,184 83,837,326 The Slack Problem In referring to the coal wastage problem, the Minister stated that through the .co-operation of Waikato coal-owners in regard to the control of screen openings, the position in the Waikato district had now completely changed, and it was unlikely that any slack whatever would be wasted during the current year. The operations of Waikato Carbonisation, Ltd.. the improved market for slack coal, and the policy of controlling screen openings had brought about.this most desirable result, and Mr Webb said he wished to place on record his dee]) appreciation of the co-operation which he had received from the coal-mining companies. In the Southland district a moderate amount of slack was still being wasted; the position, of course, was not nearly so serious as that which prevailed in the Waikato district, but nevertheless he hoped to eliminate the major portion, if not the whole, of thl.s waste by enlisting the assistance of the coal-mining companies, particularly in regard to screening. He had not yel had the same co-operation in this respect as he had received in the Waikato district, but he hoped that bcfoi'' long voluntary arrangements would be arrived at which would achieve the desired result. Failing the termination of the waste by voluntary methods, he would be forced to consider the question of legislation to enable him to deal effectively with the problem. The Minister stated that his department continued to keep in intimate touch with the latest developments abroad in hydrogenalion and other processes for the extraction of oil from coal. A Coal Mines Amendment Bill would shortly be submitted to Parliament. This would include a number of further provisions designed to improve the administration of the Coalmines Act, and had been framed as a result of suggestions and recommendations received from coal-mine owners, the miners' organisations, and the department's own staff. Dealing with the projected establishment of a rescue station—the first—in the Greymouth district, the Minister said that a site had been chosen in the township of Dobson, which was stategically situated to serve promptly the major number of the mines in the Greymouth area. Tenders would be called for the necessary building immediately a satisfactory title was obtained to the land on which the structure was to be erected. An order had gone forward to Great Britain for all the necessary equipment, and a special rescue motor-truck had been designed.

Survey of Coal Resources

The physical and chemical survey of the coal resources of the Dominion which had been under discussion for some time had been commenced, and officers appointed to work under a committee comprising representatives of the Dominion Laboratory, Geological Survey, and Mines Department. The purpose of the survey was to obtain complete information on the coal reserves of the Dominion, to correlate coal-seams of various localities, and to estimate the suitability of the coals for industrial use, oil-production, gas making, etc. Preliminary geological work had already been carried out on the Blackburn area, and arrangements were in hand for the provision of laboratory accommodation for chemical analyses'and investigations. The following table shows the number of persons employed in or about mines and stone quarries in the Dominion during 1936 and 1935:

Increase or Classification. 1936. 1935. decrease. Gold, silver, & tungsten ore 5,183 6,741 1,558 dec. Coal 4,257 4,231 26 inc. Stone-quarries under the * Stone-quar-ries Act .. 1,981 2,002 21 dec. Oil t .. 6 4 2inc. Cinnabar ..

Totals .. 11,427 12,983 1,556 dec.

In metalliferous mines, at which 5183 men were ordinarily employed, seven persons were killed and five persons seriously injured. At stone quarries under the Stone Quarries Act, employing 1981 men, there were four fatal accidents and two serious accidents.. In coal mines, where 4257 persons were ordinarily employed, four persons were killed and 26 persons seriously injured.

Co-operative and State Mines

Twenty co-operative parties working portions of the State coal reserves near Greymouth produced during the year 1936 101,619 tons, the number of men employed being 172. During the previous year 20 parties produced 91,384 tons, there being an increase this year of 10,235 tons. The institution of the co-operative mining ventures on the State coal reserve had been a most successful experiment, and had been of great value to the State. Up to the end of 1936 these parties had produced a grand total of 1,124,178 tons of coal, and had in the same period paid royalties to the State amounting to £52,064. A number of small isolated blocks of coal had been worked which could not have been profitably mined by a major organisation, and if the co-operative system had not been developed much of this coal would probably have been left unmined for all time.

The outputs from both the Liverpool colliery and the James colliery showed substantial increases for the year. The profit for the year ended March 31, 1937, after providing for interest and depreciation, amounted to £14,558, an increase of £4376 on the result of the previous year. A sum of £9178 was transferred to the sinking fund, leaving a net surplus for the year of £5380.

The Minister drew attention to the total wages paid by the State for coalwinning during the year, amounting to £93.828. These wages were distributed amongst 367 men and 27 youths, and represented an average income per employee of £239. In the financial year 1934-35, immediately before the commencement of the present Government's term of office, the total wages paid amounted to £63,353. This sum was distributed amongst 373 men and 26"youths, and represented an average income of/ £ 159. The increase in the individual worker's earnings had therefore been more than 50 per cent, within two years. The general reserve as at March 31, 1937, stood at £192,378, and cash in hand at the date and< in the public account amounted to £27,602, as compared with £12.311 at the corresponding date in 1936. The total expenditure under the Coalminers' Relief Fund for the year ended March 31, 1937, was £4307 19s 3d, as against £3BBO 19s Id for the previous year. The amount standing to the credit of the fund at the end of the financial year was £26,601 18s Bd, as against £25,625 9s at March 31, 1836, _ ~