OUTPUT OF COAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 September 1924, Page 4

OUTPUT OF COAL.

AN INCREASE LAST YEAR. LESS IMPORTATIONS. (By Wire—Parliamentary Reporter.) Wellington, Last Night. The mines statement presented [ Parliament to-day shows that the YlUuq loi minerals, including kauri gum, ex* ported and of the coal used in the Do« minion last year amounted to £3,429,* 1127- as compared with £3,171,105 dun ing 1922. The total value of such minerals exported to the end of 1923 amounted to £153,208,184. During the year the bullion produced (092,090 ounces) was greater in quantity by 171,803 ounces, and in value (15737,170) by £102,182 than in 1922. Dividend* paid by registered companies amounted to £30,344 in 1923, as compared with £53,031 in 1922. The output of coal from the mines of the Dominion showed a satisfactoryincrease for the year, being 57,521.141 tons, as compared with 55J»51407 tons in 1922. The output from the respective inspection districts for the year was as follows (the figures for 1922* being shown in parentheses): Northern district, fl:«.8fl5 tons (520.153); West Coast, 849,029 tons (879JI83); southern, 486,940 ( 457,683); total, 1.969,834 tons (1,857.819 tons). The total increase of brown coal for the Dominion was 150,027 tons. Owing to the dispute on the West Coast in the last quarter of the year the production of bituminous coal wm 32.741 tons less than for the previous year. Had this stoppage not occurred there would have been a very large increase over the previous year in the amount of bituminous coal produced. The output of lignite continued to decline. Coal importations totalled 445,792 tons, which was 75,686 tons less than during 1922. The number of persona employed in or about coal mines wag 5000, an increase of 444 on 1922-