OUTPUT OF COAL

Southland Times, Issue 23308, 18 September 1937, Page 7

OUTPUT OF COAL

RETURNS FOR SIX MONTHS (United Press Association) WELLINGTON, September 17. The output of coal from the principal New Zealand mines during the first six months of this year exceeded 1,000,000 tons, an increase of close on 35,000 tons over the corresponding period last year. This production maintained in employment an average of 4346 workers underground and on the surface. The Minister of Mines (the Hon. P. C. Webb) said in an interview today that the returns from various coal fields showed that the South Island mines had increased their outputs by 62,000 tons while production in the North Island had decreased by 27,513 tons. The total production was 1,088,853 tons. “An appreciable feature of the industry this year is the fact that for the comparative periods under review the importations of coal dropped by 7289 tons from 54,250 to 47,061,” continued Mr Webb. “But against that satisfactory gain our exports of coal decreased from 26,880 tons in the first six months of last year to 21,431 tons during the first half of this year, a drop of 5449 tons. In view of the enormous increase in the use of electric power and heat throughout the Dominion the coalmining results are good. “As Minister of Mines I would have been better pleased had the industry been able to employ more hands. The increase ir the average number of workers was only 114, compared with the average total during the corresponding period in 1936. Still it is gratifying to know that the industry is sharing in the national industrial recovery.”