COAL SHORTAGE

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVIII, Issue 23316, 27 September 1945, Page 4

COAL SHORTAGE

Merits Of Open-cast Mining Brisk Discussion In House Major Difficulties In The Industry (N.Z.P.A.) WELLINGTON, Sept. 26. A brisk discussion of the coal shortage and of the merits of openeast mining developed in the House of Representatives this afternoon during consideration of Ministerial answers to questions. The Hon. J. O’Brien, in reply to a question by Mr M. H. Oram (National, Manawatu) said that since production from open-cast mining commenced in October, 1943, a total of 341.688 tons of coal had been produced by this method to July 31 last. Based on the production figures for the seven months of 1945, one ton of coal had been produced by the open-cast method for every eight tons mined underground. Open-cast coal had made a worthwhile contribution to coal production and would do so increasingly. Mr Oram said the Minister had entirely failed to answer the question of what steps the Government proposed to take to overcome the coal shortage with particular reference to the position and prospects of open-cast mining. Predictions Astray Mr F. W. Doidge (National, Tauranga) said there should be a statement which would satisfy both the House and the country on the coal position, particularly on the unfilled predictions of the relief that would be given by open-cast mining. Mr O’Brien said that open-cast mining had produced 400,000 tons of coal. It was not tire best coal in the world and not entirely satisfactory for the railways, but where would New Zealand industries be but for the coal won by the open-cast method? The whole problem had been one of manpower. Mr Doidge said it was a pity that the Minister of Mines (the Hon. P. C. Webb) was not in New Zealand. What was the meaning of the recent statement in Auckland by the general man-

ager ’ that the railways had used 93,000 more tons of coal, but had run 900,000 fewer miles? The general manager’s statement had not been properly answered. Mr G. H. Mackley (National, Masterton) said that 18.470 working days were lost by miners last year, and it was little wonder that the railways and the people of New Zealand found themselves in the position now existing. Mr O’Brien said there were 5000 miners, and the figures quoted by Mr Mackley represented little more than three days a man a year. The Hon. R. Semple said the absence of Australian coal and the diminishing quantity of bituminous coal available in New Zealand had contributed to the present situation. The Dominion’s coalfields had been butchered in the past by private enterprise. Only 35 per cent, of the bituminous coal on the West Coast was extracted; the rest was left underground because pillars were extracted prematurely, because managers were to produce dividends or get the sack. During the war we had been forced to use coal we would not formerly have touched. It was untrue that the bulk of the open-cast coal was not up to standard, but he confessed that it had been a heavy task for railway firemen. He agreed with the General Manager that firemen had been very patient, but he resented the suggestion that the whole trouble was due to the miners. He was not defending men like those in the South Island who had said recently “No cigarettes, no coal.” That was stupid and shameful. He would say nasty things about men who deserved them, but to say the whole problem was due to the miners was incorrect. Strain on Railwaymen Mr E. B. Corbett (National, Egmont) said he had been assured that the fires in engines had to be cleaned out after a 20-mile run. Engine crews were working under great physical strain, and the position in Taranaki, where the railwaymen threatened not to run trains on open-cast coal after October 21, was serious. Mr W. J. Polson (National. Stratford) said he had expected the Minister of Railways to defend his General Manager who was attacked by Mr O’Brien. The General Manager had been at his wits’ end over coal, and in desperation made the facts public. It was unfair to allow the General Manager to be attacked, and most improper that the General Manager had not been defended by his own Minister when the latter knew it was impossible for any human being to maintain the service under the conditions obtaining. Mr Sempie: I frankly admitted that the difficulty was there. Mr Polson: And five minutes earlier we had the Minister of Mines declaring that the General Manager was wrong. Mr Polson said Mr O’Brien’s attack on the General Manager had been unworthy of a Minister of the Crown. Mr O’Brien said he had made no attack on the General Manager of Railways. The latter had alleged that open-cast coal was 40 per cent, water, but an analysis showed it was no such thing. Mr F. Langstone (Govt., Waimarino) said it had never been suggested that open-cast mining would solve New Zealand’s coal problems. Opposition voices: Oh, yes, it was. Mr Langstone: No reasonable person would have interpreted it in that way. He had great sympathy for railwaymen who had to use this coal, which was not nearly as good as our hard coal. We must be thankful that we were getting such a good railway service as we were in view of the poor fuel the men had to use. It spoke volumes for the enginedrivers and firemen who often had to stop at intervals of 50, even of 20 miles, to clean out the fireboxes. It was a trying job and involved the handling of a greater tonnage of coal. “You do not get the same calorific value out of this brown or lignite coal as from bituminous or anthracite coal." said Mr Langstone. “Much of it is less clean than coal taken from the face of a coalmine. We had nothing to complain about. We should be thankful that under the existing conditions not only were we getting our transport service, but our other industries were being kept going.” Major Difficulty The Minister of Supply (the Hon. D. G. Sullivan) said there were two difficulties in the coal situation—the manpower shortage and the impossibility of getting coal from abroad. Mr Grain kept asking what the Government was going to do about it. The only thing to do was to get manpower. Men were still in the Armed Forces. Everything possible was being done to bring men home from overseas, because on every ground we wanted them back as rapidly as possible. When coal miners from the. Armed Forces could be returned to the mines it would make a big differenece. It was impossible to import coal to-day from Australia, whereas we used to import an average of 100,000 tons a year. All the other Allied countries were faced with the same difficulties as ourselves in regard to coal. The shortage eould be overcome only by the return of miners from the Armed Forces