Nelson Evening Mail MONDAY, SEPTEMBER. 10, 1923 IMPORTATION OF COAL

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LVI, 10 September 1923, Page 4

Nelson Evening Mail MONDAY, SEPTEMBER. 10, 1923 IMPORTATION OF COAL

THE heavy importations of Newcastle coal that are taking place at the present time are bound to have a prejudicial effect on the New Zealand mines. After a period of considerable short ago New Zeala'nd is now able to secure heavy supplies from Australia. The reason as given by Mr T. 0. Bishop, secretary of the Coal Miners' Association, is that during the recent long stoppage of work on the Maitland field, the proprietors of industries in Australia which require largo and regular supplies of cord, found themselves in exactly the same position as New Zealand consumers were in during 1919, 1920, and 1921, and they were forced to adopt the same method of protecting themselves by importing coal from abroad. Contracts were entered into, and under those arrangements teal is being landed in Australia, from England, South Africa, and Japan. The New South Wales mines resumed work early in August, but found that their usual market had, to some extent, been captured during the stoppage. Consequently, cord is being poured into New Zealand in competition witii local supplies. He also pointed out, that since Ist August up to the present, lime 50.000 tons of coal had been shipped from Newcastle, to New Zealand ports, ami impor-

tations were continuing at the rate cf not less than 10,000 tons a Week. It would, be readily understood that Dominion mineowners were experiencing difficulty in holding their trade together, and that ahy interruption of our product Kin such as the recent stop pages On the West Const mines, could have only one effect, and thnt would bo to cause local consumers to lay hi stocks of Newcastle or other overseas coal, as they did two years ago. If that happened New Zealand mines would again be reduced to working only part time. If is so much to New Zealand's interests to give all possible encouragement to the local mines that, even if it were not for the fact that considerable reduction in the local demand must, mean distress among the miners and their families, every possible order will be- placed I'ere. but there must, bo some guarantee of supply and recent, year's have hot given buyers much confidence. Frequent strikes, under present conditions, tend only in the direction of encouraging large users of coal to lay in big supplies from Australia.