THE COAL QUESTION,

Grey River Argus, Volume XV, Issue 1933, 16 October 1874, Page 3

THE COAL QUESTION,

The Soutliern Cross says : — The demand for coal at Newcastle, JNew South Wales, is far greater than the mines can at present meet. By private advices we learn that a fleet of vessels, representing fifty thousand tons of shipping, have had to •wait many weeks for cargoes.. ( Theie are at Newcastle seven large cranes for loading ships, and an eighth exclusively erected for the service of steam colliers, so that if a steamer arrives she is first accommodated, and any sailing craft that may be filling up at crane No. 8 has to give place to the more fortunate steam ship, which has not, like a. sailing vessel, to wait her "turn." A large steamer chartered by Mr Larnach, of Dunedin, has been very successful under this arrangement. The complement of her cargo is 2000 tons. Of this quantity she can take only 1600 tons at Newcastle, because of the want of sufficient water, and she goes to Sydney to load up. This she has done, steamed to Dunedin, discharged her cargo there, and returned to the berth at Newcastle, while some of the sailing vessels she left there were still waiting for their cargoes ! This shows what steam colliers can accomplish, and it also shows how the coal trade is expanding. Some of the Newcastle companies have this year, we are informed, yielded divideuds of 40 or 60 percent, which is an exceptionally large profit, caused by the exceptionally high price at •which coals have ruled. It is now proposed to sink for coal under the city of Sydney itself. The formation of the coal basin of New South Wales is peculiar. The coal seams extend along the coast with a dip which descends considerably at Sydney. It is conjectured that the seam may be found at a depth of 1000 ft tQ-2QQQEt..-< It may tie leaa ; hut an enterprising speculator from England has, we learn, been arranging with various owners of property in Sydney for the right of searching and mining on payment of a certain royalty. It is believed, from the formation of the country and the cost of working that, at a depth of 2000 ft, coal could be profitably worked ; and with the great advantages which Sydney harbor and Sydney wharves could affo/3, an enormous supply could be shipped of coal mined from beneath that city. That is the latest coal speculation ; and the speculator has high hopes as to the result, and has already secured a prior right — sufficient to warrant experiments. All this proves how the demand for this mineral is increasing, and it points to a good future for the coal-fields bf this colony. We have first of all to supply our own wants — which is the. primary essential. That once accomplished, we need not fear that we shall lack an export trade. That will come when we can supply the article with which the whole of the civilised world requires to be furnished, and for which fleets of vessels throng the harbor of Newcastle. When New Zealand ia ready to deliver her coals for export, we shall not remain without customers. -