THE The New Zealand (PUBLISHED DAILY). WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 2, 1893. THE COAL MEASURES AND THE COAL TRADE.

New Zealand Times, Volume LV, Issue 9969, 2 August 1893, Page 2

THE The New Zealand (PUBLISHED DAILY).

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 2, 1893. THE COAL MEASURES AND THE COAL TRADE.

li,(h which are incorporated the Wellington Independent, ettahlished 1815, and the New Zealander,

Tiikre are many uncertainties in the position, and one certainly. If the Orey side measures cease tofurnishcoal, the Westport colliery will make a good deal of money without serving the public particularly well. High dividends and dear coal are what Mr Fish would, when in a disinterested mood, call a sinister combination. It is combination which may ho regarded as the ideal of the shareholders in that institution, which is fortunate enough to see its Orey rivals threatened with extinction. Rut it is not quite the sort of thing for the Colony at large to icjuice over. The Colony, as the owner of some very large measures of coal of the best quality in ihe Southern Pacific, is above all pet'y skirmishes between individual oumpotitoia for the sale annually of a few thousand tons of coal in a restricted market. The Colony has but one interest, and ought to have but one aspiration and one care. Its interest lies in the development of as large an output of coal as possible ; its one aspiration should bo for the immediate estab bailment on a solid basis of a coal trade, compared to which the present trade would bo like dust in the balance ; its only care must he for everything that will bring about that most desirable combination. There we have the key to this great subject. That key must, the people of this country have the right to insist, be used in every dealing with the coal trade by administrations and Parliaments. We mean that the public interest must override every other consideration. The two harbours were designed at great coat for the purpose of developing a trade. When they were begun, the country had visions of mine opening after mine, of railway and tramway succeeding railvvayand tramway, of fleets of steamers meeting with ready despatch from miles of wharves, of river bars with a history of a bad past, a present of di ep water and a future of permanent excellence. These dreams, it is needless to say, have not been realised. Once and once only has the outside world hoard of the coal of New Zealand. It was when the Calliope fought her way out of that Samoan hurricane which destroyed the American and German ships. Everybody admired the wonderful properties of the coal under the Calliope boilcs. Since then the coal has been absolutely unknown to the commerce of the world. In the large Pacific markets there is ju t about as much enquiry for our fuel as there is for the charcoal which heated the fleshpots of King Pharaoh. The simple fact is that our coal ought to bo at the present moment in every market of the Pacific, holding pride of place against all competitors, adding hundreds of thousands of pounds to the annual value of our exports. For that reason every proposal to open up a fresh mine for the output of coal ought to be encouraged. We ought to thauk everyone who makes such a proposal, just as the Romans of old thanked the man who did not despair of the republic. Wo ought to give him the best terms compatible with the public rights. As to the applications of mine-owners from time to time for assistance, or remissions or changes of terms of their holding, these should be mot in the same spirit. Two questions govern each possible case. Are the concessions fair? Are they for the general public interest. The great thing is to keep up, if possible, the output of the national riches, and to increase it. If that can be done with justice to all the interests and with safety, it should bo done. The public interest requires the maintenance and encouragement of a great industry.

THE CABLE AND THE CITY.

Mb Ward’s Bill—read a second time last night—is a very reasonable measure. Asorigi* nally drafted it was very different. It simply offered to pub an embargo on the drainage scheme. That, of course, would have been intolerable, and woulA not have been endured. But though the’city cannot be prevented from discharging its sewage where it please*, it should not seek immunity from any of the consequences of its own acts. Therefore it is only fair to provide that in the event of damage being done to the cable by the sewage, the city should pay,on the report of competent expert authority. That is as fair as anything can be. The city drainage is not interfered with, and the city acknowledges any liability that may be justly debited against it. For that matter the city’s liability does not depend on this Bill at all. That liability to pay for damage exists already. The provision in the Bill only makes the working of the necessary process easier. The city‘a friends think there is no chance of any damage to the cable from the sewage. We quite agree with them. They can agree with us that the Bill may be endured on the Statute Book without any disagreeable consequences.

TUB SIAMESE

There is not much trouble at last, so far as Great Britain is concerned. A few clays ago things looked very bl ick Indeed. There tyere two special causes of danger—one was the French claim to territory north of the 2 parallel ; and there was the blockade, which might at any time cause a shot to be tired which would set all Europe in a fl.uno. Great Britain claims all the territory on both banks of the Alekong between the 21st and 22nd northern parallel*, the Chinese claiming the territory on the left bank above the 22nd parallel. The Chinese protested vigorously against the French claim to the laiter territory, the French have asr«?ed to frays the British claim and theirs settled by a Boundary Commission. The only danger remaining is the blockade, and that is reduced to a minimum by the French action, and cannot last much longer, as all idea of resi-taneo on the Siamese part has passed away. The wears a very much safer complexion than it did.