MARKETING COAL

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30558, 29 September 1964, Page 16

MARKETING COAL

‘Unfair Trade By State’ One of the remits to be discussed by a forthcoming conference of the West Coast private mine owners in November will be a ation to the Government to purchase all coal mined in the Dominion from State and private concerns and be responsible for its marketing. At a meeting at Reefton on Sunday claims were made that private mine owners were at a disadvantage with the State in finding markets. Mr T. Moynihan (Westport) said that the private concerns were up against unfair trading practices by the State. “We do not know what it. is charging and understand that it c’n cut prices,” he said. Mr Moynihan claimed that State coal was being produced at a heavy loss—from £lO to £l5 a week for.every miner employed.

He claimed also that the Mines Department, as at present constituted, could hot do justice to the private mine owners and control should be taken out of its hands and vested in a fuel, power or coal board. The chairman (Mr A. Archer, of Reefton) said that, while unfair trading practices by the department had been suspected, he did not believe that it was cutting prices. Mr J. Almond (Greymouth) said that the State could await payments of coal supplied to merchants until stocks were actually cleared, but no private party could compete on these lines.