COAL OUTLOOK

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVIII, Issue 135, 8 May 1928, Page 7

COAL OUTLOOK

PARLOUS STATE. POSITION IN NEW sfiUTH WALES. GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE NECESSARY. (United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright). Received Alay 8, 10,20 a.m. SYi)NEY, Alay 8. An official statement concerning the coal position in New South Wales was made by Air C. AlcDonald, chairman of tho Northern Colliery Proprietors’ Association. Air McDonald endorsed Mr John Brawn’s comments that the coal position was parlous, and that in order to stabilise the industry owners, miners and the Government must make sacrifices. Foreign and inter-State coal shipments had dropped 170,000 tons, stated Air AlcDonald. Australia could not possibly compete with the coolie-pro-duced Japanese and South African coal, while Swedish, French, Belgian and German proprietors were complaining that British owners were under selling them. Air AlcDonald added that the other side of the picture was the matter of Government assistance, which some countries were giving to the coal industry, but which was denied in Australia.

A message published on Alay 3 reported Mr John Brown, the well-known coal owner, as stating: “We must get back to 1914 rates if we are to compete with Victoria's brown coal. [ warn you that there will be only two mines working in the Newcastle and Maitland fields two years from now. Ytou can have it working, or striking, whichever way you like, but you’ll have to take it. How on earth can we sell our coal if the price prohibits tho people buying it. I went to great expense in equipping ’ the mines with tho most modern machinery so as to cheapen and expedite production, rendering possible a daily output of 550 tons, but, my efforts were abortive, due to the ever-increasing hewing rates. Moreover, the Government made me pay £36,000 duty on machinery. Wo have practically lost the Victorian coal orders because of strikes and stoppages. The Victorians are now relying on the brown coal produced in their State, while our overseas trade has long since been crippled.”