COAL MEETING PEOPLE'S NEEDS

Chronicle (Levin), 5 October 1946, Page 7

COAL MEETING PEOPLE'S NEEDS

-Press Association

Mines Vote Before Honse

By Telegraph-

WELLINGTON, Oct. 4. The coalmines in. the Doxninion were on the verge of supplying sufficient coal for the needs of the people, said the Rlinister of Mines, Hon. J . O 'Brien, vvhen replying to a disc-ussion on the vote for the Mines Department when the House of Eepresentatives resumed tonight. He said that the Government had under offer seven of the major mines in New Zealand. Mr. W. Sullivan (Bay of Plenty) : You want to nationalise everything. Mr. 0 '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. Even if it ineant working uneconomie mines it would be better than paying fancjprices for coal from overseas. Except for gasworks and railways, there had been no great shortage of coal and he thought he could promise next year that even if 110 coal came from overseas, New Zealand would be able to provide for her ovvn requirements. Mr. E. W. Doidge (Tauranga) said that for months past the industrial home life of New Zealand had been in a state of ehaos beoause of the shortage of coal. The railway services had been cut in half, industries were at a standstill for want of coal, and emploveqs had been thrown out of work. The miners worked when they liked and vvhat hours they liked. It was liumiliating to watch the attitude of the Gov ernment 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 vvork overtime while the Minister of Finance took uiost of it. The Government could not expeet the miners' earnings and coal too. Leadership was the quality required. Dairy factories were suffering a great disability because of the shortage of coal and the supplies they were t'orced to use were quite unsuitabie. This was increasing costs and difiiculties of primary production. Hon. P. Webb said new mines would be opened up in districts where labour was gonerally available. The coal from the opencast mines was just as good and in many cases better than that from the mines. However, tliere wrere outcrops worked that contained only a poor class of lignite coal. Mr. G. H. Mackley (Masterton) advocated a reduction of taxation as a uieans of improving the production in coalmining and other industries. The miners had declared they would not produce more until taxes were reduced. Mr. Webb said that as far as the coal situation in the Bouth Island was coneerned, the problem had been solved. There was now an abundance of slack coal and several shiploads were avyaiting transport as soon as it could be provided for them. Hon. O 'Brien said the miners had produced millions of tons more coal under the present Government than under any previous oue. The miner, in order to earn £3 daily, had to shift twentv tons of coal. The policy of the department had been progressive and more seams of coal had been discovered by means of drilling. Lack of driJling 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 Jires were raging and it would be only a matter of years before the Millerton mine was useless. The solution was for the Btate to take the mine over. it was liighlv criminal iu these days to ailow coal to be vvasted and the question of the Millerton and Denniston mines was one of extreme urgency.