NEWCASTLE COAL

Greymouth Evening Star, 26 January 1929, Page 12

NEWCASTLE COAL

• —- —-—■ —•«©> DECLINE TN TRADE SYDNEY, January 10. Statistical returns showing the quantity of coal exported from Newcastle, ' New South Wales, prove conclusively that the former coal port of the world is fast declining and losing trade. Export of coal to inter-State and overseas parts totalled only 2,885,958 tons, valued at £3,391,361, during the year 1928. Only once during the last eleven years has the coal trade fallen below that level, and that was in 1917, when the intensive German submarine campaign considerably restricted shipping all over the world. During 1927, when the coal trade was in almost as bad a position as it is at the present time, the export figures showed that more than 700,000 tons more was exported from Newcastle than during last year. High wages and an abnormal number of petty strikes have been responsible for the lessening of the coal trade in Newcastle. Many ships that call there have been held up for days owing to labour troubles, and consequently former customers have gone elsewhere for their coal. One instance of the decline at Newcastle is shown by the fact that a German steamer recently called at the

port, unloaded and loaded a few items of cargo, but did not call at the coal wharves. The captain stated that he could carry a sufficient quantity of coal to last him for the journey to Australia and nearly half way back, and added that he could buy the coal much cheaper in other parts of the world and still save a considerable amount of money on the transaction. Another instance is that of the South Australian Government, hitherto a big customer of the northern port. This year the Premier of South Australia announced that he intended calling for tenders for the supply of coal for his State in England, where he had been advised that coal could be bought cheaper, transported to Adelaide, and unloaded at less cost than it would take to buy Newcastle coal without the extra expense of unloading and transport. The South Australian Premier also stressed the fact that he would be guaranteed delivery of the English coal within a certain time, whereas Newcastle orders were always liable to be delayed owing to strikes. Efforts are being made by the New South Wales Government to bring about a reduction in the price of New South Wales coal, and the South Australian Premier has agreed to keep the date for the closing of tenders open to the last possible day, in order to give Newcastle collieries a chance

to grasp the opportunity of filling the large South Australian order. The Government of New South Wales is endeavouring to induce the miners to accept a cut in wages of 1/- per ton, while the owners have agreed to forego their profits by 1/- a ton, and also the Government has agreed to reduce their freight on the railways by 3/a ton. Miners, however, are opposed to a reduction in -wages, and it appears that a deadlock will occur, with the result that the South Australian contract will be lost. New Zealand has been one of the biggest customers of the port, having received 262,477 tons during the year. Even this figure, however, is only half of the amount of coal exported to New Zealand the previous year.