BLACKBALL MINE

Grey River Argus, 18 July 1941, Page 4

BLACKBALL MINE

STATE PAYS £30,000 For £116,000 Worth of Property (P.A.) WELLINGTON. July 17. Particulars of the Government’s purchase of the Blackball Mine were given by the Minister of Mines (Hon. P. C. Webb), in the House to-day, when answering an urgent question by Mr H. S. S. Kyle (Nat., Riccarton). ' The Minister said that the assets of the Blackball Coal Mines Proprietary Ltd. comprised freehold land totalling just over 1730 acres, and also movable plant valued at £36,000, less cost of removal and sealing estimated at £5,000. The property also .ncluded twenty-nine cottages, valued at £11,200, and unused stores valued at £5,000. The other assets of the Company had included fixed plant, buildings, railway sidings, etc., etc., and buildings, cottages and plant. These were covered by £63,895 of an insurance. The price paid by the Government, said the Minister, was £30,000. The Minister added that the dec - sion to purchase the pronerty was not a hasty one, and it had been reached after full Cabinet consideration, and after an inspection of the mine and property by experts. Some alterations, he said, were being made to enable the daily output of coal to be brought up to two hundred and fifty tons.