COAL TRADE IMPROVING.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LV, Issue 14010, 15 September 1909, Page 1

COAL TRADE IMPROVING.

SUCCESS OF A NEW BRIQUETTING PROCESS. Per Press Association. 1 WESTPORT, Sept. 14. ! The Stockton coal trade is improving, several orders having been reoeiv<»d for "slack" for gas making and smithy purposes. Hitherto the difficulty has boon to get rid of the slack. Mr. W. Shackleton, who came to Wcstport under arrangement with the Government to introduce a new process in coal briquetting, has had a considerable number of cn-iquette» turned" out, and they look a very good sample. To a Westport News reporter, he stated that he came over to Westport under engagement by the Government to do certain things and he had been entirely .successful. He had not had to alter his formula in the slightest degree. After making the first lot of briquettes Le handed over affairs to the manager of tho briquette works, and he had turnod out briquettes similar to his own samples without any trouble whatever. The, process ensured better fuel, smokcless'ness being one of its virtues, aud the cost of binding reduced one-half. A gentleman connected with the local coal trade made a protest to-day against a statement by the Minister of Railways "that coal required for railways cotild not he supplied from Westport. He stated that on the Westport lines un&crocnod coal was used on locomotives, with the most satisfactory results, although locomotives Jiad to draw long nike*, of trucks' laden with coal to port. His idea was the Railway Department wanted screened Westport coal to mix « ith inferior coal from the State m^ne. Ho thought the remedy ought to be for coal owners not to supply screened coal at all.