STATE COAL.

Grey River Argus, 20 June 1925, Page 3

STATE COAL.

AVIIV ALIXES ARF ST.ACK. BECAUSE THE COAT. TS SLACK. (By “Rewaniii. ”) It is just about time action was taken—l don’t care whether it is diplomatically, or forcibly, but something will have to he done—as regards tho irregular working of the Stale Alines. Tt is causing more hardships in the ranks of the workers than other people think. Tt does not seem to trouble tho official heads, or even lhe lower grade of officials, or tho clerical staff who are all on fixed salaries. All salaries come from tho production of the mon who use the pick and c -ho\nl, and the men who have to truck the coal, sometimes at a detriment to themselves, both bodily and physmnll r . ATr Anderson (ATinister of Mines'), who. as T have said before Ini »ws nothing about tho industry—nubliciv stated six or eight weeks ago that the outlook for the coming winter was bright as regards State coal. T don’t know whore ho got his information from, but what we do know is that

State coal is a drug mi the market, and I will expikiin the reasons. By Hie time this State coal arrives a! tlm different shipping centres, it docs not look like coal at all after being unshipped, people who have watched it being unloaded, have been hear-l to pass remarks such as. ‘‘That’s queer kicking stuff isn't it.’ Surely that’s not State coal! ” Those reina *ks have boon heard frequently, an 1 it is just about time a better article was turned out. T might just sav hero that twenty years ago State coal w:i< in a. similar predieamen, no sale for >t through reasons just about tho same until wo snorted through the nres<. and then things wore remedied. In my written evidence to tho Coal Commission—(for ‘which I reeeivol. through the Chairman, ATr Furkett, a letter of thanks')—T explained that the present system of extracting this mineral by shattering it info dust and slack, was no good to tho industry, and tho sooner a different method was adopted, the better it would be for i the industry. The coal, as we aH know, is of a high calorific value, and should command a bettor market value, and would be used more extensively if turned out in a bettor eon. dition. Tho miners do their best; it i«5 not their fault: it is just red tape ns regards explosives. Tn my evidence to Iho Commission T explained T hat the explosives wore ton high. fierce and quick, and in the process of ny<motion the fuel lost, a high percentage of its generating gasses, thereby losing its calorific value: but if a slower and loss fierce explosive wore used which would make larger and lugger coal —not dust am] slack—it would have a better market value, because. of its retaining the different gasses, which this high explosive which is used now releases. The State coal, which is of a tough, woody nature, would be hard to boat in open competition if extinctrd bv bettor methods. 1 don’t care whether tho competitors were Weis i or Australian coal, but wo must \no.i our own trade. When the coal for the large consumers, such ns freezing works, cement works, and manufacturers buv the article, fhov n.i ur lv want tn deliver the best of ennl keep nn their own reputationniv rp , n nrks nhnut the unscreened jurwhich bv the time it ‘ . nnl Irhins to be loaded ’- n to screens, ami nuius B, P r.-'il""v from I'm m,’w=. of sixfv.six per -ent of “8.-y oml (Inst, nn.l tl.irtv-fhrnn nor eoy M .■nnn.l co.nl. N’ow H"’ s,ntp of - 1 ” is n disKi-ooe. nml mn=t s'oo. cl ns wo all have nn interest in these n>.n<'<. U will nnv us tn find the 1 am no chemist, but T hn\e stun < <. in"rodiouts Hint a slow oxulns,\ o, composed of (an oxnlosixe v ifhnn Pa sb 7 nnd 1110 ingredients are m '“v Zealand, B is un tn anme nf lhe tvrll nnhl h-ids of <ho AHnos Depart wont tn got an explosive to suit mineral, or get an expert to dn it.