THE STATE COAL MINES.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1745, 16 August 1905, Page 2

THE STATE COAL MINES.

COAL FOR “ THE; PEOPLE.”

QUESTiONS IN THE HOUSE.

OFFICIAL REPLIES.

. The . conduct of the • State coalniiiies,, the question .of providing “the: people” with cheap fuel (and other (aspects of the : -State’s Utining i venture, //A were brought up iii the/ Hou-fee:last.Wednesday through- the.'medium (of a question by Mr ABarber) asking the Minister ' for Mines if the folloAviug which appeared in, the“New' Zealand Times/- 1 vvas correct :A— ' /('A. I ('*••(

' “The ?• collier Rosamond, has -. arrived Avith 400 tons of State coal, and commenced discharging cargo yesterday morning. The; coal, ’which is the. bestsample yet received from the State mine af Sedclomdltey had. been advertised to be -sold at £1 2s .per / ton (screened) from the- ship’s side. • The applications received totalled three times the (quantity; that the steamer: 'could (supply! and the coat- had_ to be.- distributed pro x’ata.”; An inquiry Was also. made, as to 'whether' .Stat e coal; depots: would /.be established; ! ■ '(■( /('./ /-((/■■'■//(• ■.

(The Hon J. - AlcGowan replied that the statement which appeared in the. “Times” (was substantially’'correct. Only 115, tons /Avefb/ however, (screened', coal from Hie Seddonville ’ mine, and' this was distributed to the public for household' purposes! The quality of this shipment was found to be excellent,"aud if the standard can be maintained and the demand continues, the opening of depots will naturally folloAV.

Air Barber was not satisfied with the reply. . There Avas a demand for 106,000 tons of State coal at (Wellington- alone a year. ( The difficulty ,at present exist! ing would continue to exist until depots Avere established. There were sections on the reclaimed land that- could be used fpr storing, the coal, and the cost Avciuld. be small, to the Government. In the last shipment two-t.]iirds of the screened coal Avent to the dealer. If the scheme was properly conducted, it Avouj-d be a boon to the people, and the industries of the colony, but if it wits riot properly conducted, the mine Avould be an unprofitable investment.

Air E. M. Smith said tlic natural coalmine for Wellington AA as Alokau. There were 400 square miles of coal lying open there, and tho people -could get. their 1 supplies brought to their houses, lor 25s or 26s a ton. If the Government, (lid not do it, the municipM; authorities should A\*ake tip and do. rt/'i/A; con's pony cgiild do it, and intonded itp/,! • Mr Hogg asked. ,why tho Government seemed determined not ? tp‘ .niake -the ■ State mine a success. ' -The action of the Government in connection Witir the scheme .was inexplicable. . -.Was- it a GoA'’er(muent for the people, or -for the •■middleman/- Why was.ybread and coal

maintained at their present high prices A The Government was. responsible for dear bread, and knew it. It would be compelled l —object' as it liked—to take away the duty on flour, and withdraw the blackmail that > was being levied oh the people of New Zealand. If the Government wished to make tho State coal mine a success, it would have coal carried in its own steamers, and retailed from its. own depots. Tho Government was defying the people upon whom it relied. / , a Air Massey said that for soipe reason ,or other which nobody could understand the miners iu r the State mine were working on an average of two days a week! he was- not .in favour of the State coming into competition with private enterprise, but the min© had beeii acquired, and.the money invested. The Government should, therefore,, manage the mine, for the benefit of;the people concerned, and see that loss of money v ; as avoided. In reply to these criticisms, the Hon : Air AlcGowah- claimed that coal was cheaper in Wellington owing to the establishment of the State mine. Everything could; not be done at once. It took time to develop a coal ;mine. There were -two sections of; the -mine, and in one section the -coal for a {.long time: would not stand screening. There was too; much, -slack, on-; account .of the : soft crushed condition of the product. The ; question of opening depots was a. very important one, and;; members who talked so mu oh about the . subject had: not properly, considered it> If a depot was opened' fin.'.Wellington, depots would have to be opened all over the colony, and the mine/ would not be able to supply- the demand. The position would then bo that the State would be selhng to householders all its •coal, - and'. biiyihg /otHer -coal from deai--ers for its. ow r ii require- ; ; ments.. A lot of -money:had been saved thd colony- by tbe> departments * using coal from the State mine. The! mine was being worked so that there should be no financial loss to. the . State, and one section of it showed a profit. : - v The Hon. ,Mr : Hall-J ones said he /would like, to 'see; the/ work extended, and it would be extended, but it' could not be done in-a week Or. two. ;Anyhbvy, all the coal mined, was not jgbing; to be sent to /Wellington. //He was sur- : prised that some of the unions (or parties of citizens had not taken . large ; quantities of. the coal, and ’distributed it amongst themselves. .• • “" - f DEPOTS LO BE OPENED! ./ Later 'in the - evening, Mr Reid (Taieri) put in a. plea, for the private .mil!e-owner. He . said the . mistaken : policy of the Government// iii .starting coai-rninihg would recoil oil tho people. The - Government should leave private enterprise aloud,; and. confine itself, to .supplying its own legitimate require{merits.. ;y ; ;\- //.A!/'./.;/. ..; / .'.(/v/!'.'-”- ::// v. Mr D uthie asked by ; wliat : process of - prelereneo it was proposed to distribute the. State coal in Wellihgton? .!was: epining forward ; was only a fraction df what was required. ; "•'! A;,' The subject was referred to by the .Premier about 10.30 p.m.A.. The Government is negotiating. for a. coal depot in. Wellington,he said': I wish torn ake this; announcement. We intend to. have- coal depots m the centres - of ; this colony. (Hear! hear.): The original iiitehtioh of' the Government will be carried out. There is another seam .of coal at Coal Creek, Aviiich is the bqst' in the .Southern Hemisphere, It is only quite recently that, the seam ,of hard coal at the Seddonville mine lias been touched. AI hope the information ;will be pleasing to members. -The Goyerhrtient■ intends to do T justice,, to, this .question., * ’ 1 \y -A '