THE COAL POSITION.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume VI, Issue 1624, 29 April 1919, Page 3

THE COAL POSITION.

AUSTRALIAN IMPORTATIONS. TROUBLE AT NEWCASTLE. With the. output from the West Coast mines below normal, particular attention has been concentrated during the past few months on the importation of Australian coal, and it is fairly safe to assume that had it not been for the obtaining of supplies from overseas, the householders' coal bins would have seen little hard coal. Now that winter is approaching, the fact that Labour disputes are occurring in the Newcastle mines is therefore particularly disquieting. According to private advices, received in the city, "interesting developments" are expected as the miners there resent any interference by the State with an agreement with the mine-owners. In normal years, New Zealand is dependent on about 400,000 tons of Australian hard coal. The Dominion output usually is, roughly, 2,000,000 tons, of which a quarter of a million tons is brown coal and lignite. But, as stated, the New Zealand output is now far from normal, and although the Australian importations in 1917 were onlv 291,000 tons, as compared with 518,000 tons in 1914, the 1919 imports so far have been unusually heavy. In the event of an Australian strike, it might still be possible to import coal, provided stocks there were large and the watersiders there, like Barkis, were willing. If* the Australian supply is interfered with, it was gathered from inquiries amongst the trade, that the householders' position during the winter months will be the reverse of ehecry. Regarding the diminished West Coast output, the reason, as previously stated, is the departure from the mines of men whose presence there was due to the fact that they had either to work as miners or don khaki. Since they have left this source of employment there does not appear to have been any improvement in the labour position worth mentioning. One mine representative stated that very few returned men who had been miners hail so far returned to their old occupations. He was convinced that there would not be any improvement to any extent until all the men returned and there was a surplus on the general labour market. It was also gathered that the coastal shipping :ivailalde was quite sufficient, owing to the causes stated, to lift the coal. In fact, provision in this respect was often more than adequate. The local position as regards coal supplies shows little improvement.