BROWN COALS

Hokitika Guardian, 4 November 1932, Page 6

BROWN COALS

CARBONISATION NECESSARY,.

(Per Press &.ssvcMMoi^.>Ucjyrii)liL\

WELLINGTON, Nov. 3

Discussing the reduced New Zealand' coal consumption 111 an address, at the annual meeting of the. New Zealand Cdahnine Owners’ Association to-day,,, the President, Qdlonel, Holgatej referred to experiments in the use of carbonised coal and gas. He claimed- that;‘tint! carbonisation. Q>f the brown coals in New Zealand was not- only a success,, but that'it; wouuL in the near future,, be profitable, and would, become more generahy adopted. The: New Zealand coalfields, lie, said; war®*a.- natiomd. asset, and the Goytrifr. indnt had lost sight, of this, industry wlien- it was dov.e.opirtg its fyydro-elec-, trig schemes. Probably y hod.' they for®* seen the results off they. might; have- considered; 1 the generating of power from coal tliustt saving,the. coun■tfy some eight million,Sj-stefliiig. The. sain® amount of, pdiver coulUi have been; ; produced, and: it wbuld; have been sofe at certainly* the- same; if not at less, cost. There were- now t’ooV many pro-, duci ng collieries for the output re■;quired. The State wahi partly 'to! blame foij continuing tl;e-issue of-fresh* mining! leases, despite the declining output; He said that many leases were on* smalt GroW-ni areas,- wliich liad : ltd' to the flooding of tlie market wdth'-.-the* c-hsep-Jy-mined outcrop coall This the 'detriment of the- business’ of- older established mining companies! It was. reacting both- on employers;'arid" world ers. 'Some form- of co-crJeratiVe ‘effort wak necessary members tile Association, He said, as the cnly means of overcoming the- difficulties of the cbal tirade. Tlie president then suggested., tlie ‘setting up of a smalt cominjjteo to investigate tlie possibilities albng tile .lines of rationalising tlie coal industry jvith' a view to preparing a. scheme for submission, perhaps, to he Government to carry, into effect.

Discvssing the economic dutlook. Colbnel Holgato said, that costs must conic down. He said that obviously the New Zealand miners did not realise what the coa] owners were up. against, and, spoiler than agree to worm for less wages.-., they seemed- prepared to strike and risk losing employment.