COAL-MINING IN NEW ZEALAND

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 270, 11 August 1938, Page 10

COAL-MINING IN NEW ZEALAND

Production Continues To Increase report of department For the fourth year in succession the production of coal in New Zealand has shown an increase. In only four yeais in the country’s history have the mines produced more coal than in 193< IJ-G 1028 1029 and 1030. These facts are recorded In the annual report of the Mines Department which was presented by the Minister of Mines, Hon. 1. C. Webb, in the House of Representatives yesterday. -The position must be regarded as very satisfactory in view of the inroads of competitive forms of power into the industrial field during the past ten years,” the Minister states. I want, of course, to see the position of the coal-mining industry still further improved, and I again appeal to gasmaking concerns, which are the principal consumers of imported coal, to do their utmost to help our local industry.” , . ' There were 172 coa.l _ inines operatint, in the Dominion in 1937. Eighty-two of these mines are situated on freehold property and produced 993,803 tons, or 44 per cent, of the total output. The remaining 90 mines are situated on Crown lands, and produced 1283,946 tons, or 56 per cent, of the total output of 2,277,799 tons. . . The annual production of coal since 1930 has been as follows: —

Wastage of Coal.

‘Since I took office,” the Minister states, “the problem of wastage of slack coal has undergone a complete transformation. In both the Waikato and Southland districts, where the position was most acute, the coalmining companies, in response to my personal appeals, have entered into voluntary arrangements for controlling the sizes of screens. I wish to express to the companies my appreciation of their co-operation. Recent geological reports as to the limited extent of the coal resources of the Country serve to strengthen my conviction and resolve that, so long as I remain in office, everything reasonably possible must be done to conserve those resources. “The department continues to keep in intimate touch with the latest developments abroad in hydrogenation and other processes for the extraction of oil from coal. Further work has been undertaken on the survey of our coal resources. The past year’s operations have been mainly devoted to the Greymouth field, but the Geological Survey Department, which is controlled by the Minister in Charge of Scientific and Industrial Research, reports a serious shortage of suitable officers in New Zealand for such work. The investigations which have so far been made seem to indicate that the reserves of bituminous coal which can be economically -worked are less than previously estimated. “The recent decision of the Government to establish an iron and steel industry makes the early completion of the survey of our bituminous fields a matter of imperative importance.

Co-operative Mining. “Nineteen co-operative parties working portions of the State Coal Reserve near Greymouth produced, during the year 1937, 109,052 tons, the number of men employed being 182. During the previous year twenty parties produced 101,619 tons, there being an increase this year of 7433 tons. The institution of the co-operative mining ventures on the State Coal Reserve has been a most successful experiment, and has been of great value to the State. Up to the end of 1937 these parties have produced a grand total of 1,233,230 tons of coal, and have in the same period paid royalties to the State amounting to £58,975. A number of small isolated blocks of coal have 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.”

Year. 1939 Tons. 2,542,092 19X1 2,157,756 1932 . ...... 1,842,022 1933 ...... 1,821,258 1934 2,060,315 1935 2,115,184 193G 2,140,217 1937 2,277,799