MINISTER REVIEWS COAL PRODUCTION

Chronicle (Levin), 3 October 1946, Page 7

MINISTER REVIEWS COAL PRODUCTION

—Press Assvciation

Output Last Year Created New Reeord

By Telegraph-

WELLINGTON, Oct. 2. Coal production in 1945 was a reeord for the Dominion, according to the Mines Statement presented in the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon by the Minister of Mines (Mr. O'Brien), who said that the output of 2,833,576 tons was an increase of approximately 1 per cent. on the previous year. The report stated that the annual production of coal since 1939 had been as follows: — 1939, 2,342,639 tons; 1940, 2,516,099 tons; 1941, 2,639,507 tons; 1942, 2,680,041 tons; 1943, 2,787,868 tons; and 1944, 2,805,970 tons. Compared with 1939, when war broke out, production for 1945 sliowed an in: crease of 490,937 tons. ' The output per miner employed underground in 1945 was 606 tons, a decrease of 53 tons, as compared with 1944. An increase per capita in open-cast production resulted in a combined underground and opencast production of 507 tons per man, which was an increase of five tons on the previous year. "While the output per man from underground mines inereased during 1941 and 1942, there lias been a progressive deeline since then," states the report. ' ' This is due largely to War conditions. Inereased production has been expedient in those years even if future production was thereby affected, and tlie effect 'lias been cumulative witli tlie years. "Despite inereased production of coal, the supply position has still remained difficult and unequal to demand, and it has been iinpossible to build up reserves to aliow for stoppages in shipnient occasioned by tlie' vagaries of the bars at tlie West Goast ports. It is, of course, the shortago of bituminous coal tliat is erueial since cessation of iinports from Austfalia and the inability of bituminous mines in New Zealand to make up the leeway. " The report expresses tlie view that permanent relief can come only from .the expansion of production in the Dominion and revi.ews endeavours made to bring this about Mentioniiig prospecting programmes in Reefton, tlie report states that there was a million tons of extractable coal discovered, witli anotlier two million tons probable. Open-cast Mining. Tlie effect of the Departnient 's opencast mining policy liad not been felt until last year, added tlie report. In 1945-46 open-cast mines, produced 432,889 tons of coal, a li^tle over oneseventh of tlie total production and a reeord figure. The greatest proportion of the increase. in production had been due to the eight open-cast mines operated by the Btate. None of those was in existence in 1942, but tfiey contributed more than half qf the 1945 total. " While with the larger open-cast mines it has been ' pp^jible either to make use of tlie s^reen|pg plants of adjoiniug mines or 'toAjiifevide separate plants to eliminate inferior material, this procedure cannot be extended to sniall-scale. open-cast mines," tlie report continues. "There, tlie amount of coal to be won has not juslified the provision of screening plants and, as a certain amount of contaniination is unavoidable witli tliis type of lnining, tlie quality of tlie coal has not always- been as good as is desirable. "Generally, a long life cannot be expected of open-cast mines because of tlieir nature, but open-cast mining will continue to make a valuable coniribution to production during tliis and next year, while investigation is still proceeding to allow tlie opening-up of ad ditioual open-cast mines as those now in operation become exhausted. ''