COAL RESOURCES

Grey River Argus, 11 February 1938, Page 12

COAL RESOURCES

Survey Being Made HON MR. WEBB’S INTENTIONS. [Per Press Association]. TIMARU, February 9. An outline of his intentions regarding the coal industry, was given to-day by Hon. P. C. Webb (Minister of Mines), addressing the Gas Institute’s annual conference. . , “I want a complete survey of the coal resources of the Dominion, and it is now being prepared,” said the Minister. “We are surveying both the quantity and quality of our coal, including lignite, bituminous and anthracite deposits, and when we have all the facts we will have a complete knowledge of the source bf the potential wealth to be very thankful for. No country can be called poor that has large, workable coal deposits. CONSERVING COAL RESOURCES. The Minister said that one of his most important objects as Minister for Mines was to conserve most carefully the Dominion’s coal resources. Already hundreds of thousands of tons of coal had been destroyed by mining out the heart of coal seams. Of course, it Was a commercial age, and the industry had to meet highly-competitive conditions with rising costs, but he hoped that in the not so distant future the world would find more use for coal than in heating. “We should Jook upon our coal mines as a very valuable treasure,” he said, “and set out with a religious fervour to conserve every ton of coal, and to make full use of our resources. I should like it to come about that.l would shudder to see smoke pouring out of a chimnev. Nothing should be wasted in the exploitation of coal.” Mr. Webb forecast conferences among scientists, coal - industrialists, and politicians to plan the best means /of getting full value from coal. Politicians had to generalise, he said, but they had also to be capable of exploiting the brains of the country’s specialists. He would also like to see the advance of science inspire a marked and early advance in the education system in furthering the cause of a happier mankind. “We politicians should make it our business to get discoveries of the laboratory into feasible practice with the minimum of delay.” NEW BRITISH PROPOSALS. (British Official Wireless). RUGBY, February 8. Safeguards for consumers ' under established coal selling schemes were promised in the House of Commons by Mr. Oliver Stanley, president of the Board of Trade. He declined to amend the Coal Bill to give effect to these safeguards and said that something not in statutory form would be the most effective. The central council administering selling schemes had accordingly given certain guarantees, which would be binding on each colliery dealing first with supplies and service, second with price complaints, and third with general questions, including price.