NEW ZEALAND COAL AREAS

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 50, 28 February 1913, Page 8

NEW ZEALAND COAL AREAS

INTER ESTING TNFORMATION. (Per Press Association.) Dunedin, February 27. Interesting evidence relative to the need for the national reservation of coal ureas in New Zealand and Australia was given before the Empire Trade Commission to-day. Professor Park (Otago Mining School) pointed out that the question was of vital importance to the defence of the Empire in view of the supplies needed for the navy. The popular idea was that coal was abundant in New Zealand and was found in many places, but the total amount was small. Ho estimated that of brown coal we had 52J million tons, of pitch coal .30G million tons, and of bituminous coals (confined to Westport and Greymouth districts) 251 million tons. The British output per year was 270 million tons. There was the small chance ol big discoveries in the future, and our coal was at present being used with prodigal waste, which in New Zealand was enormous, equalling 50 per cent. Mr G. Joachin, managing director of the Westport Coal Company, submitted a quantity of information as to the working of his company’s mine. Flu, output was 620,000 tons per annum. They employed 920 men underground and 250 above, and the average output was 530 tons per man Flo thought New Zealand would have to go more and more to Newcastle fo. coal. There wore 167 mines in the Dominion, but only 26 of those employed more than 20 men each, and he knew of only four mines that were paying dividends. This was owing to the physical conditions and the cost of labor. The Westport hewers averaged 14s 6d to 16s per shift.