STATE MINES

Grey River Argus, 3 October 1934, Page 2

STATE MINES

New Agreement MR. WEBB’S VIEWS. 'WELLINGTON, Oct;,her 2. Discussing in the House the State Coal Mines Finances, Mr P. Webb (Buller) said that the Minister should insist that new agreements be drawn up independently of outside companies or influences For some time the practice of the Mines Department had been to await the making of agreements with private companies before making agreements on its own account with the men. For many years the conditions prevailing in the State Mines were better than those in other mines. In the past private companies became annoyed if the State mines conceded any very necessary improvement in working conditions. Tf the officials worked in conjunction with the Miners’ Union it would be in the interests of the Department and of the country as a whole. A dispute was in existence between the management and the union on the West Coast for eighteen months, the management contending that no dispute existed. The agreement provided that where a dispute arose it should be sent to a. specified tribunal. Even if the management did contend that there was no dispute, the Minister should have insisted on the matter being referred to the tribunal for settlement. Eventually when the matter was submitted to the tribunal it was settled once and for all. When the matter was brought to the Minister’s notice he certainly gave it sympathetic consideration, but his Department had blocked the matter for several months.

RUNANGA BOROUGH. Referring to the State Coal sales policy, Mr Webb said that it was a mistake to close the State Coal mine depot at Wanganui, because, although it might not be profit-earning, it was certainly an outlet for State coal, and. in the interests of the miners, it ought to have been kept open. He thought that the Government ought to assist Runanga township in the maintenance of its roads. Hon. Mr Macmillan: Tt did not spend the money voted for its roads last year. Mr. Webb said that the Borough Council must have been unaware that the money was available. Tt had no source of revenue for the purpose, as it was really a mining township, and the houses were Government houses.

IMPORTED COAL. In the House last, week, Mr. Webb said it was true that Australian coal was essential to the requirements of the vertical retorts of the gasworks, but those retorts could consume at least 50 per cent, more New Zealand coal if it were desired. During the last Australian coal strike the gasworks were able to dispense with it. To-day Australian coal was competing with the domestic product, and was also taking the place of the screened coal from our own mines, while oil and electricity were taking the place of the slack for steaming purposes. The Minister should confer with the Minister of Finance with regard to the benzol problem. The Christchurch Gasworks, he was sure, would consume 5000 tons more State coal yearly if the excise duty were removed from its benzol production, which was a. very fine motor spirit, ami 5000 extra tons produced from the State mine would mean about £4,800 to the Railway Department for freight, and provide employment for a considerable number of men. Gasworks using horizontal retorts, such as those at Invercargill, were getting their coal supplies from Australia, partly because the freight charge was very much lower than the railway charge from the State Mines to Southland. The outstanding need of the moment in mining was the adequate training of young New Zealanders as mine managers and engineers, in lieu of the importation of experts from other countries. For that reason the School of Mines should be encouraged, and he suggested that for that purpose they should be given some of the proceeds of the gold export tax. A Board of practical and expert men should be set up to assist the Minister in thoroughly prospecting the whole of the country. Tf for instance, the virgin country from Karamea to the Lyell were explored it would produce results of very great benefit. He urged the Minister to get roads into these inaccessible places and so assist the men who were doing practical work. It was utter waste for tl:e Unemployment Board to spend money sending out men where there was no prospect of doing anything. There was a crying need for systematic boring and tunnelling under t’’e guidance of an organization of practical miners and experts, and there was no necessity for the Unemployment Board to be mixed up in the matter at all. The administration of tlie Mines Department required the whole time attention of the Minister, who should have at his command the best technical knowledge available. He therefore appealed to the Minister to set up a Board on the lines he had suggested. The Minister should have £lO,OOO instead of £3OOO for the establishment and equipment of mining schools, to enable us to train our own men instead of importing them.