NEW ZEALAND COAL URGED

Hawera Star, Volume L, 13 February 1931, Page 5

NEW ZEALAND COAL URGED

use in: gas-making. itvv Tetegritpn —Pres» Association.) DUNEDIN, Feb. 12. The New Zealand Gas Institute re-, sunied its annual sittings to-day. Papers were read on gasworks chemistry (Mr W. 0. R. Gilling, Christchurch), value of tar (Mr T. Dix, Cambridge), hot Yvater and gas tariff (Mr C. H. Ridley, Christchurch), and increase of gas consumption in Great Britain (Mr R. E. Bird, representing West and Go., of Birmingham). Mr A. H. Kim bell, Under-Secretary of Mines, in an appeal to gas managers to ponder seriously before they ordered coal from Australia, pointed out the serious effect this was having on the West Coast mines, many of which were l-osing many days a year owing to- lack of orders. He paid a tribute to the Dunedin City Council, which since the installation of vertical retorts was using 100 per cent. New Zealand coal, and said that the mine-owners wondered why other vertical retort -owners- could not d-o the same.

M r Ivimbell pointed out that the number of mines in the Grey and Buller districts was 45, which employed 2850 men , who we re supporting something like 20,000 people. The annual production of the mines was about 1,232,000 tons. Twelve of the mines were limited liability companies and the other 33 were worked by co-operative or other parties. The subscribed capital -of the limited liability mines was ' "4,000. For five months during the Maitland coal strike only 2856 tons of Australian coal was used by six gasworks in New Zealand, but in five months after the settlement of the trouble those six works imported 28,800 tons. That meant much loss of time to the West Coast mines, and he, therefore, urged gasworks managers to use as much New Zealand coal as possible.