COAL OUTPUT

Greymouth Evening Star, 6 December 1940, Page 5

COAL OUTPUT

RECORD EXPECTED FOR YEAR [PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.] WELLINGTON, December 5. “It is confidently expected that the output of coal this year will constitute a record for the Dominion,” said the Minister for Mines (Mr. Webb), when replying in the House of Representatives to-day to an urgent question asked by Mr. C. A. Barrell (Government, Hamilton). Mr. Webb said the position in the North Island was always more difficult than in the south, and at the present time lack of shipping was temporarily holding up production, and causing some collieries to be idle. Everything possible was being done to overcome this difficulty. The average yearly production of coal for the years 1930 to 1934, before the advent of a Labour Government, was 2,084,689 tons, said the Minister. For the subsequent five years the average was 2,219,585 tons, an increase of 134,896 tons yearly. The figures of annual production a man were as follows: — A man underground: 1930-1934, 561; 1935-1939, 674. A man on the payroll: 1930-1934, 415; 1935-39, 499. It would be seen that there had been an increase since the Labour Government came into power of 113 tons a man employed underground, and 84 tons a man on the payroll. Under-ground workers in coalmines were required to work an eight-hour shift, bank to bank, actual time worked at the face depending upon travelling time underground. In 1936 a 40-hour week of five days was brought into operation, but no decrease in production resulted. On the contrary, an increase had been shown. The production of coal last year was only exceeded previously on four occasions, in 1927, 1928, 1929, and 1930, during the Australian strike.