STATE PURCHASE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 24011, 8 July 1941, Page 6

STATE PURCHASE

THE BLACKBALL MINE

PRODUCTION TO CONTINUE

announcement by minister

(0.C.) GHEYMOUTH. Monday The Minister of Mines, the Hon. P. C. Webb, announced to-night that the colliery of the Blackball Coal Mines Proprietory, Limited, which the company had decided to close down, is to be taken over by the Government and operated as a State mine, Blackball itself becoming a State township. Representations to have the Mines Department take over had been made by miners and others interested since the company announced last month its intention to close down owing to production costs reaching an uneconomic level. Seventy employees of the mine received notices of dismissal last week. Mr. Webb has been in Blackball since Saturday, making inspections of the mine. The men worked to-day as a trial on a co-operative basis.

Confidence in Results Mr. Webb said they had the town to consider and the whole' Coast would have been affected seriously if it had not been possible to continue work in the mine. He was convinced Blackball would in future enjoy greater prosperity than it ever had enjoyed. Its prosperity would depend on the men who worked in tho mine and he had confidence in them.

Exports were unanimous that although Blackball was not going to ho a gold mine it would, with the cooperation of tho men and the management, more than pay its way. If they continued to work as a team the taxpayers would not have to pay one pound toward their wages. The State mine expert had said that in all his experience he had never seen a mine better laid out than the manager, Mr. J. Quinn, had laid out Blackball. It had the most up-to-date plant in New Zealand.

Tribute to Company The Minister said the company had lost a lot of money and he wanted to pay his respects to them for the way they had approached him. The company had said that if he thought the mine worth going on with they would make an offer which was thousands of pounds less than the place was worth. That was their contribution to helj) the people of Blackball regain their feet.

Mr, Webb said that the mines had increased production by nearly 20 per cent since the present Government came to power, while in the past six months they had produced 150,000 tons more than in the first six months of last year, and in the whole of this year they would undoubtedly establish a new record. The miners had done some silly things and he thought it was sheer madness to have three or four men have an argument at the mine mouth and send 3QQ or 400 men home. However, the Blackball men had given him an unsolicited assurance that if any dispute arose there they would take it through the proper channels and not cause a stoppage. Mr. Webb said he had arranged to take over all the Blackball Coal Company owned in the town to the State. The property included buildings, swimihing baths, tennis courts and part of the water supply.