MINES ON VERGE OF PRODUCING ENOUGH COAL FOR N.Z.

Wanganui Chronicle, 5 October 1946, Page 5

MINES ON VERGE OF PRODUCING ENOUGH COAL FOR N.Z.

SEVEN MORE MINES UNDER OFFER TO THE STATE (P.A. > Parliament Bldgs., Oct. 4. Coalmines in the Dominion were on the verge of supplying sufficient coal for the needs of the people, said the Minister of Mines, Mr. O’Brien, in the House of Representatives tonight, replying to discussion on the vote for the Mines Department. He said that the Government had under offer seven of the major mines in New Zealand.

Mr. W. Sullivan (Opp., Bay of Plenty): You want to nationalise everything! Mr. O’Brien: The owners want the Government to take over the mines. The Minister said that with the opening of one or two more mines it should be possible to supply New Zealand’s coal requirements without getting coal from overseas. Mr. O’Brien said that even it it meant working uneconomic mines, it would be better than paying fancy prices for coal from overseas. Except for gasworks and railways, there had been no great shortage of coal, and he thought lie could promise next year that even if no coal came from overseas, New Zealand would be able to provide for her own requirements.

Mr. F. W. Doidge (Opp., Tauranga) said that for months past the industrial and home life of New Zealand had been in a state of chaos because of the shortage of coal. Railway services had been cut in half, industries

were at a standstill for want of’coal, and employees had been thrown oui of work. The miners worked when they liked and what hours they liked. It was humiliating to watch the attitude of the Government towards the miners. The appeal of the Prime Minister to the miners to keep up production, at least until after the election, was a humiliating statement that had staggered the country. The miners had bluntly stated they would not work overtime while the Minister of Finance took most of it.

Dairy factories were suffering great disability because of the shortage ol coal, and the supplies they were forced to use were quite unsuitable. This was increasing costs and the difficulties of the primary production.

The former Minister of Mines (Mr. P. Webb) said new mines would be opened up in districts where labour was generally available. Coal from open-cast mines was just as good and. in many cases, better than that from the mines. However, there were outcrops worked that contained only a poor class of lignite coal. Mr. G. H. Mackley (Opp.. Masterton) advocated a reduction of taxation as a means of improving production in coalmining and other industries. The miners had declared they would not produce more until taxes were reduced.

Mrs. Webb said as far as the coal situation in the South Island was concerned the problem had been solved there. Now there was an abundance of slack coal, and several shiploads were awaiting trasport as soon as it could be provided for them. | Mr. O’Brien said that the miners had produced a million tons more coal under the present Government than under any previous one. Mr. O’Brien said that a miner, in order to earn £3 daily, had to shift 20 tons of coal.

Mr. Webb said the policy of the department had been progressive, ana more seams of coal had been discovered by means of drilling. Lack of drilling and prospecting, however, would mean the end of the Kaitangata mine. He felt that the greatest national scandal, which was above party politics altogether, was taking place in the Westport Coal Company’s property, where fires were raging and it would only be a matter of years before the Millerton mine was useless. A solution was for the State to take the mine over. It was highly criminal, in these days, to allow coal to be wasted and the question of the Millerton and Denniston mines was one of extreme urgency. The vote was passed.