STATE COAL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXII, Issue 15714, 6 September 1911, Page 6

STATE COAL.

A DISCUSSION IN PARLIAMENT.

OPPOSITION OBJECTIONS. [From Our Correspondent.] WELLINGTON, September 5. A dobato on State coal mines arose to-day in the House on a motion to go into committee on tho Coal Mines Act Amendment Bill. Mr W. F.'Maissey,, leader of the Opposition, remarked that while he was in favour of tho Stato stopping in to stop a monopoly, ho had no knowledge of any ring or combine which woulcL iustify tho inclusion of firewood and coke in the operations of the DepartMr W H Horries statod that he did not believe the State Coal Department had reduced the price of coal lhe State coal mines seemed to bo the breeding ground of all tho Socialists in tho country. Mr Sctkton: They, wanted you to go out to .see them. Mr Hemes: Yes, I imsht. have reformed them. , . , The Hon" 11. M'Kenzie: More likely to reform you a little. Mr H. G. Ell remarked that tne previous speaker's views showed hew much sympathy the Opposition bad with tho Government's determination to secure choa;> coal for tho working man. State coal was supplied in Olmstchurcn «tt Ss a quarter-ton, but the pcoplo had to pay 10s Gd before the State started. The Minister was now asinn* ror power to supply coko and firewood. It was tho same policy which led the State lO cheapen fire insurance by starring its Fire Insurance Department. It tno Liboral Party remained on tho Treasury benches thoy would yet make- vast changes in tho conditions of hie tor the masses of the people Mr A. L. Hordman romarked that tt State Socialism was to be judged by tho result of the Stato Coal Mine it was a failure. If it had been run as a private individual would have run u, paying a royalty of 9d per ton. it would'have made a loss of £2llO last year. The Department charged its depots 2s a ton leas for coal than was charged to the railways Tho Hon R, M'Kenzie: A different kind of coal. Tho Prime Minister stated that ever since the State coal mines had been in existence they had been subject to the hostile criticism of tho Opposition. Before tho State mines started coal in Wellington was sold at £2 a ton or a little over. As tho outcome of the establishment of the mines, the price of coal to private consumers had been reduced to" 28s a ton, tho saving amounting to between 10s and 12s a tor;. Tho annual private consumption could bo safely put down at 100,000 tons, so that Wellington people had saved £00..000..a year through the State coal depots, and he was sure the peoplo of Christchurch saved between £30,000 and £35,000 in the samo way. Another point which hud been overlooked was the steadying; influence of tho State coal mine on "the market. It was a great ! regulator and controller and preventer of combinations which would have placed unfair imposts on tho users of coal. The specious statements of Opposition speakers would not discount the fact that cheap coal was a vital matter to the people. If Mr Horries was right, why "was ib that in tho North Island the're wero incessant demands for a State coal mine? (Hear, hear.) Ho denied that complaints regarding the quality of State coal were made by tho Railway Department. In any case it would be tho duty of tho Department to use State coal if it was available, and it got that coal at Is less per ton than Newcastle coal. There had been trouble over the men in the mine, but tho difference between private and public mines was that in- the latter case there was unhappily introduced tho suggestion for political purposes that these disputes wero the outcome of Stato ownership. The Railway Department called for tenders annually for its coal supplies, and it would not pay more than tho market price to the Stato mines. It was extraordinary that any member claiming to represent the people should object to something which saved tho consumers 10s a ton on their fuel. Ho believed lie. was the first to ursre from the Ministerial benches tho taking of so important a step as tho startintr of a State coal mi no . He did not behove there should be an effort to own and soil all the coal supplies of Now Zealand, for there was nnv amount of room for both systems .c 0 l n .'),r ns the normal price was recognised. He know of no other concern that could have out surium-iine. It was tra* that one mino did not make a profit at first, and

if the Government had given way to criticism and closed up that section of the work serious injury would have been done to some hundreds of people engaged in the mine. The peoplo as a 'whole had benefited enormously by tlie State mines, and in spit© of continuous attacks tho mines did well. Mr F. M. B. Fisher said that his personal experience of State coal was that it reduced the price of coal from 38s to 28s per ton, hut although the mine was Drought into closer touch with tho consumer by means of tho State, a carrying monopoly came in between.