THE MINES STATEMENT

Press, Volume LXXV, Issue 22802, 30 August 1939, Page 16

THE MINES STATEMENT

SMALL DECREASE IN OUTPUT

COAL PRODUCTION OF N.Z. IMPORTATIONS ALSO LOWER WORKING OF CO-OPERATIVE PARTIES [From Our Parliamentary Reporter.] WELLINGTON. August 29. A decrease in the production oi coal in the Dominion in 1938 amounting to 2.48 per cent., is revealed in the Mines Statement, tabled to-day in the House of Representatives bj the Minister for Mines (the Hon. P. C. Webb). The report states that the .ease was confined to brown coal. “There were 159 coal mines operating in the Dominion in 1938,” says the statement. “Seventy-one of these mines are situated on freehold property and produced 840,598 tons or 38 per cent, of the total output. The remaining 88 mines are situated on Crown lands and produced 1.381,490 tons, or 62 per cent, of the total output of 2,222,088 tons. “The annual production of coal since 1930 has 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 .. r.. 2,115,184 1936 .. .. 2,140,217 1937 .. .. 2,277,799 1938 .. .. 2,222,088 “The decrease in output for 1938 is 2.44 per cent, below the figure for 1937, and is confined to brown coal. “The quantity of coal imported into New Zealand in 1938 was 109,206 tons, as compared with 116,499 tons for the previous year, a welcome reduction of 6.27 per cent. Co-operative Mines “Nineteen co-operative par: - .; working portions of the State Coal Reserve near Greymouth produced, during the ye.ar 1938, 108,214 tons, the number of men employed being 170.' During the previous year 19 parties produced 109,052 tons, there being a decrease this year of 838 tons. “Up to the end of 1938 these parties have produced a grand total of 1,341,444 tons of coal, and .have in the same period paid royalties to the State amounting to £63,028.” I STATE AID TO MINING SUBSIDIES GIVEN PROSPECTORS PROGRAMME CARRIED ' OUT LAST YEAR' IFrom Our Parliamentary Reporter.! ■■■ ■ WELLINGTON, August 29, \ Assistance in State subsidies given to prospectors in 1938 is set out in full in the Mines Statement, which was tabled m the House of Representatives to-day by the Minister, for Mines (the Horn P. -C. Webb), P re^ious years, considerable nse was made of the Government prospecting-drills. They were hired by II parties, and a total of 14,072 feet wa^ drilled” said the report. . ?he sum of .£9200 . was voted for expenditure for assistance towards prospecting. The - balance of unexpended- authorities at March 31, 1938, and those issued during the year, less cancellation's, amounted to £14,998 7s Bd.' Of this amount £3730 3s 2d whs expended by way of actual subsidies year, leaving a balance of £11,268 4s 6d authorised but not spent at March 31, 1939, The number of men given employment through the subsidies granted by the Mines Department was 53. _ r “The increased amounts available during the last two years enabled the department to arrange with the Labour Department to prospect: areas in the' Reefton and South Westland districts. ■ This prospecting is now being carried but’ by parties of men under skilled direction. The cost is being shared, by . the two departments, and the sum of £4563 ’ls Bd, in addition to the amount of £14.998 7s 8d authorised by way of subsidies, was sei aside out of the Mines Department’s vote, of which £4249 2s 7,d came, to charge during the year. The number of prospectors in; these parties is • 27. “Provision- totalling £5230, including £4230 in the Public Works Fund, was made foe expenditure by way of direct grants and subsidies for roads and tracks. The. balance of the unexpended authorities. at March 31,: 193,8, and those issued ■ during the year, amount to £6009 3s 4d. Of .this' amount the sum of £5220 12s 3d was expended. ' i “The expenditure on schools of mines amounted to . £3460.

Labour Department “For the financial year ended March. 31, 1939, expenditure from the Employment Promotion Fund for the purpose of assisting individual gold-pros-pectors and • the gold-mining industry generally amounted- to £50,271, which includes all payments made in respect of subsidies; ' wages, and equipment connected with the Labour Department’s ordinary gold-mining scheme, but does not include salaries and allowances paid to mining, engineers and supervisors. Subsidies paid to goldmining companies and syndicates ». under Scheme No.- 8b during the year amounted to £302, but this expenditure was offset, by refunds of previous advances amounting to £316. "In addition to the above expenditure, a sum of £13,752 was advanced to gold-mining companies by way of loans, such advances being secured by bills* of sale or other chattels security over the plant and mining titles of the i companies concerned. . •“The average number of men engaged in gold-prospecting work under the department’s ; subsidised goldmining scheme- during the year was 477; excluding those employed by companies and syndicates. This is a decrease of nearly 50 per ce.nt., as compered. with the figure - for the - previous 12 months, end. is due to the fact that considerable -numbers of previously sqbsidised prospectors have continued tcu be absorbed into public works and private industry. •' • «Gpld won by subsidised prospectors di/ring the, •year, apart, from thst pro- ; dijced,-- bysubsidised. companies, and : syndicates, was-approximately.; 33500z. bringing the' total gold production for this class of prospector from the inception of the-gold-mining scheme to March 31. 1939, up to approximately ■ 42,85002. The - amount, of ; gold produced by subsidised then for the year

PRODUCTION OF OIL

SEARCH MADE IN DOMINION NUMBER OF LICENCES GRANTED [From Our Parliamentary Reporter.! WELLINGTON. August’ 29. New Zealand’s total production of crude petroleum oil to December 1, 1938, was 2,883,650 gallons, according to an estimate given in the Mines Statement which was released in the House of Representatives to-day. “The passing of the Petroleum Act, 1937, heralded a new era in the search for oil in New Zealand,” said the Minister (the Hon. P. C. Webb). “After the act was passed considerable interest was shown by some of the major oil companies and practically all the potential oil-bearing land in New Zealand was applied for. In all 52 licences with an aggregate area of 9236 square miles have been granted, and applications for further areas are still being received.” Geological and geophysical investigations were being carried out on all licensed areas, and the first important well was being drilled near Gisborne, with a modern and efficient plant capable of drilling to a depth of 10,000 feet. The scope of the investigations undertaken by the various licensees was being rapidly expanded with the arrival of expert staff and special equipment from overseas. Production from the No. 1, 2, and 4 wells of Moturoa Oilfields, Ltd., in Taranaki, was 116,585 gallons of crude oil. said the report. From the Kotuku field on the West Coast 1269 gallons were recovered. :

STATE-OWNED MINES

PROFIT SHOWN ON YEAR RISE IN AVERAGE PRICE RECEIVED [From Our Parliamentary Reporter.! WELLINGTON, August 29. A slight increase in the amount of net profit made in the year by the State Mines is made in the Mines Statement, which was tabled in the House of Representatives. to-day. The Liverpool colliery worked the same number of days as in the previous year, but at the James colliery the number of working dayis showed a big decrease. “The net profit for the year for the State coal mines, ended March 31, 1939, after making provision for interest and depreciation, amounted to £13,313, an increase of £145 compared with the previous year. A sum of £11,767 was transeferred to’ the sinking fund, leaving a net surplus, for the year of £1546," said the report. “The Liverpool colliery worked 202 days during the year, an increase of one day five hours compared with the previous year. At the James colliery work was carried out on 208 days, a decrease of 32 days compared with the previous year. Output and Sales The Liverpool colliery’s gross output for-the year was 137,533 tons, compared with 137,806 tons for the previous year, a decrease of 273 tons. The James colliery’s'gross output was 42,649 tons, compared with 42,608 tons an increase of 41 tons. A comparative statement for the two years is as follows: ‘ Output, in Tons, 1938-3 9. Mine. . Gross. Net. Liverpool ‘ ~ 137,533 131,807 James .. 42,649 41,434 Output, in Tons, 1937-38. Mine. > Gross. Net. Liverpool .. 137,806 132,144 James .. 42.608 41,099 “The difference between the gross and the net output is the allowance for mine consumption and waste. In addition to the above, 2689 tons of coal was purchased for resale, of which 1312 tons was purchased from co-operative parties on the West Coast. Total Sales “The total sales of State coal ■ from the Liverpool mine for the year amounted to 131,437 tons, value £ 165,243 as compared with 128,793 tons, value .£165,752 for the previous year—an increase of 2644 tons, with a decrease in value of £509. , “The average price realised-by the mine oh'the total sales for the year was £1 5s 1.7 d, a decrease of 7.2 don the previous year’s average. “The total sales of State coal from the James mine for the year amounted to 35,554 tons, value £49,579, as compared with 36,889 tons, value £46,538, for tiie previous year—a decrease of 1335 tons, with an increase in value of £3041, . ■ “The. average'price realised by the mine on the total sales for the year was £1 7s 10.6 d a ton, an increase of 2s 7.9 don the previous year’s average. “The sales of coal, etc., through the medium of the depots totalled 122,335 tons, value £209.267. as against 117.821 tons, value £199,343 for the previous year.”

compares very favourably with that of the preceding year, when, an average of 887 prospectors won approximately 45000z. “The general prospecting and investigation of the Reef ton goldfields? which was commenced in 1936, have been continued during the year, tiifc work, for the most: part, being confined to the opening-up ’and extension of old workings, and further driving and crosscutting in. the Perseverance and Golden Treasure mines. : Expenditure for the 12 months ended March 31, 1939, on this undertaking amounted to £7661, making the total expenditure to that ■ date £ 17.756, which, has been contributed equally by. the Mines and Labour Departments.”