“SOMETHING ROTTEN”

Grey River Argus, 19 January 1922, Page 6

“SOMETHING ROTTEN”

WELSH COAL IN AUSTRALIA MELBOURNE, Jan 16. Recently steamers arrived in Australia bringing cargoes of English and Welsh coal. It was stated that the coal is landed here at a price below which the New South Wales product could be sold. This caused concern to the Australian coal mining industry. Referring to the situation yesterday, the Prime Minister said the deduction

to be drawn is very obvious. If coal could be produced in England, and brought 12,000 miles to undersell the coal produced in Australia, it was very evident there was something rotten in the “State of Denmark.” The remedy was to adjust ourselves to world conditions. It might be said that upon the price of coal depended the industrial and commercial life of the country, since, in common with many other industries, it had long overtaken the requirements of the local market. The world’s prices directly governed our output. It was only a little time ago since Australian coal could be sold in the Mediterranean and Scandinavia at lower prices than British coal. The exact opposite was now witnessed. Until recently coal was taken 12,000 miles from Australia to undersell coal produced only a stone’s throw from those markets.