COAL PRODUCTION

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 52, 25 November 1930, Page 6

COAL PRODUCTION

Decrease in Imports DOMINION OUTPUT GROWS A notable decrease in the amount of coal imported into New Zealand during October and an increase in the local output is shown in figures prepared by the Mines Department for the Minister of Mines Hon. A. J. Murdoch. The figures show ’that more employment is being "iven in the New Zealand mines, and that many of the gas companies were trying to use greater quantities of New Zealand C °a" total of 182,937 tons was produced from the 41 New Zealand mines in October. an increase of 6435 tons over September. Bituminous coal produced totalled 83,321 tons, brown eoal 94,777 tons, and lignite eoal 5619 tons The importations for the month totalled <47a tons which was 16,720 tons less than in September, 14,787 tons less than in August and 26,617 tons less than in July A feature of the Importations was that the railways imported no coal for their own usc. ! ... Exportations totalled 2920 tons, which was'll6Bo tons less than in the previous month.’in October, 1929, 9286 tons were exported. TOO MANY MINES OPEN No New Licenses Meantime Dominion Special Service. Auckland, November 24. Only 7000 tons of Australian coal., none of which was used , by the railways. was imported to New Zealnd during October, according to a statement made this morning by the Hon. A. J. Murdoch, Minister of Mines, when speaking at a United Party reception. The Minister said his aim was to place the administration of the department on a sound basis and to make the coal-mining propositions reproductive, bo far good progress had been made in. that direction. The department had been accused of cutting the rates of coal, but that charge was not correct. It was the coal owners in the Auckland province who started rate cutting. The department had teased its mine on very good terms, and the result would be beneficial to the province, apart from the fact that 200 men who would otherwise have been unemployed had obtained work. A. voice: You have broken the coal rl The Minister: We are not taking credit for that. There are more men employed and you are getting coal at a cheaper his opinion there were more mines open than were required, and to keep these going at nearly full time it had been decided some time ago not to grant any fresh licenses until the present position had righted itse’’