AUSTRALIAN COAL.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 5667, 29 May 1879, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN COAL.

Under the heading “Australian Coal,” the Colonial says :—“ It has been very truly said that coal- is the richest treasure that any country can possess ; and now that the difficulties attending the supply of the transports at St. Vincent are being commented on, it may be as well to point out one or two facts with reference to the wealth of the British Empire in this respect. Our meu-of-war are practically useless unless a convenient coalingstation is within a week's steaming ; and, owning possessions as we do in every sea, there should be no difficulty ia keeping a squadron supplied wherever it might he ordered to cruise. The public generally is unaware of the enormous wealth of New South Wales in the matter of coal. In the month of May la-t year as much as 96,592 tons were exported from the port of Newcastle alone ; whilst ia the first five months of 1878, 363,772 tons were shipped. Wollongong, Bulli, and other towns have also a large output; aud much of the coal produced is hut little inferior to the best Welsh steam coal. For years past it has been the rule for emigrant ships, after discharging at Sydney or Brisbane, to proceed to Newcastle and fill up with coal tor Hongkong or Shanghai, whence they return with a cargo of tea; or for San Francisco, where they ship grain for the long voyage home round the Horn. New South Wales, in case of war, could keep Cape Town, the Mauritius, Aden, Bombay, Galle, Singapore, Hongkong, Fiji, New Zealand, Vancouver’s Island, and the Falkland Islands fully supplied with coal ; leaving Ascension, Gibraltar, and the Mediterranean stations, Bermuda, the West Indies and British Guiana, the Canadian ports, and Heligoland to receive their stores from the mother country. Roughly speaking, the collieries of New South Wales could easily keep our possessions in one half of the world supplied with fuel, and England the other half. The material is always ready at hand, and there would be ■no difficulty in chartering a fleet of ocean-going steamers in Australia to to act as colliers. As befits the greatest maritime nation, the resources of England and her colonies in the matter of coal and coaling surpass those of all other countries combined, and Australia may well be proud of the help she is able and willing to accord to the mother country in any emergency.”