THE GOAL MONOPOLV

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2148, 14 June 1889, Page 2

THE GOAL MONOPOLY

+. A communication to the Nelaon " Mall" by a recent ylaltor to the bo|l mtoea of \y export, a§ye tha,t be Bees no reaiqn why, with a olightly deeper bap and river, the weekly export from Wait port should not be 20,0Q0 inatead, of 20pQ torn. He goea op to apeak aj followa : — if Why there \* ftpk rflore ooaj ahlpped now is a myataty. Not ao long ago ooal ooojd not bs got fast enough for the ahlps await log oargoef. Now ablpi do not gone faat ea ugh to carry the coal away that gau be got. And bo, instead of being, M with harbor works and coal mtaing and shipping we might expeot It, a basiling plaoe, It ia exoeedlngly dull. What la the exouae ? is It the pipping froit of monp° poly Halting the oArrjin'g trade to a osrtalo ilrae, and so Hmiting the'ootput? If bo, the next Parliament mght dd worso' than hqulre into the ' relationehlp of monopolies to the well being of the ppopi^,- tjnd vhe|ber qornerq 'of rich oyndloitoa to yegalate prices that tboy may grow rlohee atlll ara not. a oonep'raoy a^ainat the State, Why (s it that Wentport ooal roie 5a por ton daring the Ntwoaatle strike, find should never have dropped again 1 It fa not an anomaly th-.t Newoaatle coal can bo boutht oheaper In New Zealand th^n Wostpotfe ojal 5 Why ia thfe V Docs the colliery ocmpanyj the Goveroniaot m royaltiea or oatrlige, the ateimehip oompanles In freight, or the cjobl }u'#era get thia extra prloe betirean fbf tft Q coajf ) AH theie aq<|ttoai Qtpw4

il'-.'L ' '■"■■ ' 1 ilTif t ton, ■ mi- ■■ 1 1 11 l-lti i* - I upon ore with the knowledge that ike mtneri of Wfat r ort aro working half time, «Dd ih> output of coal li bang llraitrd a* Greyraou'h, and man are leaving the dutrlot. It li yery cert tin that Government'hauiage (a well paid for— 2i 6d per ton for ten miles strikes me ai bravy. If the average export 1b 2000 (Oil weekly, the 00 liery company oon'tlbnte £11,000 <per annum to the Government for oarrylr g \reekiy this quantity ten mllei. If there is a ghrst of a roar In the Ballet Lion, re ought to ho*r it thundering over mit tars mysterious."