Doubts Over Proposed Work On Purifying Coast Coal

Press, Volume C, Issue 29623, 20 September 1961, Page 17

Doubts Over Proposed Work On Purifying Coast Coal

(from Our Own Reporter)

WELLINGTON, Sept. 19. Doubts as to whether the type of research envisaged by Professor S. R. Siemon, of the University of Canterbury, into the purification of West Coast coal would be either cheap or effective were expressed by the Minister of Mines (Mr Shand) in the House of Representatives during discussion of the Mines Department estimates tonight. “Professor Siemon might be able to devise a process whereby Blackball coal might be made acceptable as a gas coal,” said Mr Shand. “It is a quite effective medium for the .production of gas now—but the sulphur content makes it objectionable. “I would be sympathetic if such a process were devised. but it must be remembered that an enormous amount of research has gone into this problem overseas. It is possible, indeed, that experimentation on a very small scale will reveal what may be a satisfactory method of procedure. “Unfortunately, it is unlikely that this can be translated -into a workable propo-

sition at small cost. The expense comes, not in completing the small research project. but in translating its results into an economic

large-scale process.” Mr S. A. Whitehead (Opposition, Nelson): Is the coal industry one of the “sick industries” mentioned by the Minister in his famous speech at Auckland? Mr Whitehead said that the Minister had said that every avenue bad been investigated for obtaining gas coal in New Zealand before the decision had been made to import Australian coal. He thought the Minister had been misinformed, or that “something had slipped up.” “There is good gas coal available in Nelson,” said Mr Whitehead. “The Nelson Gas Company runs on it entirely, and judges it better than the Westport-Strongman mixture. This was available to the Auckland Gas Company, for which the Australian coal is being imported. “These people hoped to sell coal overseas, shipping it from Nelson. It could have gone just as easily to Auckland. I suggest the Minister has been misinformed when he says that all avenues

have been explored.” Replying to Mr Whitehead. Mr Shand said the Mines Department did get coal from Marawea (the mine to which Mr Whitehead had referred), and that in quality it was “by and large satisfactory.” The trouble was that it could n’ot be obtained in large quantities. “We had to stockpile to get a hatchful,” said Mr Shand. "We did use it, and it was very good as a substitute for Liverpool coal. There were shipping problems. but we used it in the South Island, notably in