THE COAL COMMISSION.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CVI, Issue 12573, 7 August 1901, Page 3

THE COAL COMMISSION.

ITS RECOMMENDATIONS. [From Our Correspondent.] WELLINGTON, August 6. The report of the Commission appointed to enquire into the inspection and management of the coal mines of the colony was laid on the table of the House of Representatives to-day. The following are the general recommendations of- the Commission : We recommend the appointment of a Chief Inspector of Coal-mines for the colony, who should be a mao of high qualification, possessing experience both in New Zealand and Britain or America. Each District Inspector should 'furnish to the Chief Inspector a monthly report, showing the work done during the previous month, and the condition, of each mine inspected. In case of any difficulty between the Inspector and the mine-owners, the Chief Inspector should personally visit the mine, and special powers should be given the Chief Inspector to act promptly and effectively, in order to remedy what may be amiss. Under the present system, the Inspectors report annually to the Minister of Mines, and this has led to matters being allowed to stand over which ought to have been- dealt with at once. The districts placed under each Inspector are, in our opinion, too large, and there are too many gold and coal-mines in each district for the existing staff to satisfactorily deal with. Additional Inspectors should be appointed, and the mines should) be inspected more frequently than- has heretofore' been the practice. The provisions of the Acts and regulations should be strictly carried out, and the forfeiture clauses enforced where mines are either unworked for any considerable periods or are neglected. ; Survey.—-We recommend a resumption of the surveys formerly made • of coal-beating areas. The present surveys and estimates should he corrected by the information since obtained from actual working; . and lands hitherto unsurveyed,' but; which are belived to contain coal, should be carefully and thoroughly surveyed. - The theory that many outcrops on an area justify an estimate based upon the idea that the seams run continuously through the area on which the outcrops appear should be officially tested, and if proved fallacious, as we believe it to be, should be abandoned. In short, a. determined effort should be made to take stock of our coal resources, and let the people of the colony know how far they can. rely upon a coal-supply'for the •next generation. Sale of Coal-bearing Lands.—lmmediate efforts should be made to ascertain ■where coal-bearing areas are- sitiiated on Crown lands, and such lands should hot be sold. It is .true that under certain conditions freehold lands may be resumed for coalmining purposes, but the- compensation to be paid to the- owner generally prevents such resumption. Reservation of Coal Areas.—We reconvmend to the consideration of your Excellency’s Advisers the sound policy of reserving to the State the coal areas not now alienated or worked. The- establishment- of a coal-mine owned and worked by the State has been much, pressed upon us by many witnesses, but it is a question involving so many political considerations that we feel it is one eminently beyond our functions, and is only to b© dealt with and decided by Parliament. But in the meantime the acquisition by individuals of areas which may be required for the people generally should be prevented.j .Haulage-rates on Railway.—We were much pressed to recommend a differential rate on the various classes of coal carried. It was urged that- slack and nuts should be carried at a, less rate than round coal. We regret we are unable to make any recommendation thereon. It is a matter really outside the scope of our Commission, and is one x-elating to railway administration. We are aware that the experiment of charging lesser rates for the lower classes of coal was made, and was fpimd not to work -satisfactorily. We commend the subject to the serious consideration of the authorities. State Distribution, -of Coal.-[—Much evidence was offered to us, which we felt unable. as well as unwilling, to reject, on the subject of the- cost of coal to the consumer, as compared with the cost of production. The case of; the Westport- Company’s’ coal —which is produced at 7s lOd a ton in the railway trucks at- Waiman-garoa. and is retailed in Wellington at £1 15s a tou. nets—is a, striking example- of the cost of ■distribution. Mokau coal, produced at.the mine at 8s 6d, is sold in- New Plymouth retail at £1 Ids per ten. The same proportion practically exists throughout the colony. We believe that if the State, which now buys a large quantity of coal at a, moderate" price* would ssll such coal at a fair price to consumers, the grievance now

complained of would vanish, and the result would be that, 'while the State would fix the fair retail price of coal, the present dealers would sell at such price and would not be injured. ' The large quantity of evidence taken necessitated some delay in tie transcription of the shorthand notes, and we have, in preparing our repotb, had to rely in a. great measure upon our own notes. When, quotations are made from witnesses’ evidence, they are taken Irom our note of what the witness said, and not from the reporter s shorthand note. CANTERBURY MINES. The Commissioners report as under on Canterburv mines: Homebnsh.—This mire is situated on the freehold property of Air John Deans, at South Malvern, Canterbury. It is worked by the owner in ■ conjunction with brrclc find tile works of considerable magnitude. The mine has b'.en working for twentyeight years, and during all that time has been under the management of Mr Thomas Brown. It employs fourteen men in all, and turns cut about twenty-five tens of coal a day, of which quantitj twenty tons are used per week at the pottery works. The balance of the coal is sold at the tip, which touches the railway, at 14s per ton. The railway haulage to Christchurch is 4s 6d a ton for forty-nine miles of railway. The seam is -7ft 6in to Bft thick, and'lies fairly evenly at dip of lin 3. The coal is ti brown coal of good quality for household purposes and pottery works. ~ It is at present being worked on the rise, and. the supply on that side is estimated to last three or four years at the present output. To work the dip side mil necessitate pumping gear, and somewhat more expensive appliances,'but when, worked with proper plant will enable a much larger 'output to be obtained at less cost. We found the workings in a thoroughly satisfactory state, .with good ventilation ana roads, but the tramway from the mine mouth to the tiphead, some two miles long, is in a rather dilapidated condition. 'The fireclay used in. the pottery is obtained from a separate seam a little further up the gullv than the .mine. There are said to he outcrops showing good coal in the neighbourhood of tin's mine which, have not been worked, and there are also several small coal-mines which are not at present working, and which we could not visit. There is a considerable demand for this coal in the neighbourhood, and a thoroughly efficient mine would he of great public utility. . , r Springfield.—This is the property of Mr Horsley, and w& visited; it in April. The mine is said to be nearly exhausted, and no coal is sold, hut the quantity raised is utilised in Mr Horsley’s.pottery works. It is a poor quality of coal, and has not yet been found in a payable seam. There is a great scarcity of coal in this neighbourhood, although there are _ many indications that there is an extensive area of coalbearing land. Mr Cloudesley, the hotelkeeper at Springfield, has put in a small drive at a point some fifteen chains from his house, hut so. far without finding anything payable. Mr Glcudesley told us of a 14ft seam of semi-bituminous coal at Broken River, one mils and a half from the Midland Railway line, and said that he and two others hold a coal-mining lease, on which they have paid rent for twelve years, and on which they have done some boring, and have prospected the outcrops. He speaks hopefully of this coal, but it must await the comiug of.the railway!