THE COAL INDUSTRY ON THE WEST COAST.

Otago Witness, Issue 2623, 22 June 1904, Page 30

THE COAL INDUSTRY ON THE WEST COAST.

(Feoii Our Own Cop.hkspondext.l I GREYMOUTH, June 17. j From all appearances and the information j to hand there is likely to be a big '"boom" j in coal development in this district, and | if the demand onl}- be> equal to the supply \ the output in about 18 months, or two 3'eai - 3 from now should be a very large one. The ; Brumicr mine, which we have long bs&n I told was nearly worked out, ha= still a r goad deal of coal left, and in the back porI tion of the mine, scarcely yet opened up, : there is known to be a largo block of coa'. The Tyneside mine, which possibly will never have a very large output, is increasing its output every week, and the company, which is enlarged, will immediately j I proceed with the reopening* of the Wall- ! i tend mine. Pump ; ng machinery is expected within the next 10 days, and this will be j placed in position at once, and the pumping j out of the mine* proceeded with. Under the ! most fa^ ourr.blo ciicuniTtances it will be six j months at least before any coal is got oiit. | The State coal mine is putting jout about 1500 tons per week, and would do a good deal more only that the railway want is very limited. Tho coal is magnificent household coal, and better than any other West Coast coal yeh opened, and the people of the district arc very anxious to get sup-l/up-:l with it. T\e Givon n on*. Lov-ever, j for reasons best k -cv >i t> molfdocs uofc eoem inclined to tell locally, which seems an extraordinary proceeding, seeing that it is now selling to the Wellington Tramway i Company. The recent wet weather did a good deal of tlamrgo to t!io State coal mine railwa}-, and this, along with the paucity of trucks, is delaying tho output. Mr Bi-hop, however, is doing his utmost to

remedy this, and an output of 2000 tons per week should bo easily accomplished within a month or so. A coal lease taken up abovn Brunner is now supposed to be practically floated on the liondon market. Mr Thornton, who is there, has, it is understood, cabled to that effect, and as proof ■ '• of the bona fid-es of the London investors , has forwarded tho necessary money for all ■ preliminaries, including the £1000 deposit required by the Government. At Blackball ; , the railway bridge across the Grey River j lias been completed. The approaches are being proceeded with, and the railway to the mine should bo an accomplished fact j within 12 months. Thi<* will do away with ; the heavy expense attached to bringing-the ' coal down the aerial tram, and enable the ' j output to be easily doubled. The best news, : however, is as regards the coal lease at ' Upper Blackball, which Messrs Cutten , Bros., Neilson, and a few others took up j some few years ago. Yesterday Mr Neilson, who is acting as local director, received word to at once p\it in hand the [ driving of two tunnels on No. 4- seam of coal. The work is to be done by contract, I and tenders will be arranged next Saturday. I This development consists of 4-OOft of coal | driving, and will commence at a point } above Soldiers' Creek, and 200 ft will be on the rise of the coal, and the other 200 ft on the dip. The work is mainly being done to prove the dip of the coal. This work has to be completed in a month. This coal j is superior to any found in the southern i hemisphere, being a pure anthracite, said t to equal, if not to excel, the finest Welsh , ! coal. "Ten bags were brought down and { shipped yesterday to Dunedin to be thoroughly tested. If this test comes up to expectations— and I understand there is no doubt abotit it— the necessary capital lof ! opening and development will immediately ( |be forthcoming. The opening and develop- i ment of this mine and connecting it with . the Government railway will be expensive, j I possibly requiring £200.000. Large as this { i e-eems, J have an absolute assurance that ; there will bo no difficulty about the capital, j provided the analysis is correct.