RECORD OUTPUT

Taranaki Daily News, 10 May 1930, Page 16

RECORD OUTPUT

PROSPEROUS COAL INDUSTRY.

BRIGHT FUTURE FORESEEN.

The output of coal in the Dominion during 1928 constituted a record. That record has again been broken by the production during 1929, the output for last year being 99,111 tons more than the quantity produced in any previous year. “This gratifying result,” said the Minister of Mines (Hon. W. A. Veitch) at Auckland on' Tuesday, “is attributa'ble jto several causes, the most important being the greater use by the Railway Department of locally-mined instead of imported coals and the utilisation of our own coal for gas-making purposes.

“Experiments in the blending of different classes of New Zealand coal have shown that the results from suitable mixtures were equal to those obtainable from imported bituminous coal. Those in charge of the various gasworks are to. bo complimented on the good sense they have displayed in using the locallyproduced article and for the assistance they have thereby given to the mining industry, I, hope and believe that even when the Australian coal dispute is settled, gas companies will continue to use New Zealand coal.” .. '■ The following comparative . figures show the position for the 12 months which ended on December 31, 1929, and

the corresponding period in 1928:— 1928 1929 Total output (tons) 2,436,753 2,535,864 Persons employed 5/376 5,491 Imports (tons) .. ... 247,861 215,658 Exports (tons) ,. ... 125,771 ’ 205,403