Profits From State Mines

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 139, 2 September 1927, Page 1

Profits From State Mines

MINISTER CONGRATULATED DOMINION'S COAL OUTPUT (THE SUN'S Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, Thursday. T>EMARKS that were, on the Xli whole, congratulatory, were made to the Minister of Mines, the Hon. G. J. Anderson, to-day by the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. H. E. Holland, when the annual reports of the Mines Department were presented to the House of Representatives.

The Dominion’s coal output last year was 63,959,342 tons, against 61,719,343 tons in 1925. The increase was wholly due to the increased production of bituminous coal, which was 151,662 tons in excess of the amount produced in the previous year. The output of brown coal showed a small decrease of 5,600 tons, and lignite coal a decrease of 21,058 tons. Mr. Holland said that the position of the State mines to-day showed a considerable improvement. The total gross output for the year just ended was 185,685 tons, an increase of 51,627 tons over that for the previous year. The total net profit was £22,669 — £20,054 from the mining section and £2,615 from the depots. The figures showed that there was a credit balance of £132,242, as against £109,575 last year, and he thought the Minister had reason to congratulate himself on the position of the State mines, notwithstanding the heavy writing-off for depreciation and some losses which could have been avoided in the past, though there was no blame attachable to the present Minister for that position. The position was very satisfactory, when it was remembered that the State mines had played a part in keeping prices down to a more reasonable limit than would have been the case had the State mines not been in existence. In view of later developments regarding the Charming Creek field, Mr. Holland asked the Minister whether the department had any possibility of having returned the money which had been spent by it in improving the field. He understood that it had now' been taken over by a new concern. LOSSES IN THE PAST Some of the losses shown belonged to past days, as for Instance those on briquette works and the Seddonville colliery. He thought that if any sort of care or foresight had been brought to bear, there need have been no loss in either of these cases. There were other items in the net losses which belonged to some extent to the present, and the Minister might be able to say how they were made up. The Wellington depot showed a. loss of over £6,000, and the Dunedin depot a loss of £4,248. Against these, and a small loss at Wanganui, there was a net profit on the Christchurch depot of £7,358. He had an idea that some of the loss at Wellington might have been due to the way in which the coal was handled there.

The Minister was to be congratulated on the way in which the housing situation was being met at Runanga. Provision was being made for housing advances, and the demand for accommodation in Runanga was being steadily met. MINERS’ IMPROVEMENTS “As far as the State mines are concerned,” went on Mr. Holland, “there ** general forward movement. The miners themselves take a great interest in their own community, and among them is found a large proportion of students of history, economics and other subjects, than in most communities.” In his reply, the Minister of Mines that the lessee of the Charming Creek field had to pay an added royalty for the State improvements. RcSarding losses, the Minister pointed wt that during the war period selling frcoes had not been increased to house“Olders, and the losses in Wellington nad been greater than those in Christchurch.