GEAR N.Z. COULD USE Dominion Miner In British Coal Pits

Chronicle (Levin), 13 October 1949, Page 5

GEAR N.Z. COULD USE Dominion Miner In British Coal Pits

(N.Z.PAcr

-Reuter.

GQVMright)

■ . LOXDOX, Oct. 12. "So. far as I conlft see, thg men. in all the nflnes I visited were working quite as hard as tjiey tlid when 1 worked in tfie pits in'this country 24 years ago- The technical deyelopment in that titne has been tremendQHs aad there is 110 dauht that in yiew pf the peeuflar difficulties with which they are confronted, Br-itiak «tjiS©rst- both nianagenteut and men, ary niaking a very good showing" said Air. Thomas McGhie, district maaager of minea forr the Buller district, New Zeuiand, who has just concluded a two months' tour of a nnmber ofi British coalfields after representing Xew Zealand at the fourth Empire Alining and Metallurgical Congress in London in the middle of July, Among the pits visited by Air. McGhie were several on the Durham field — where one sliaft has now penetrated three niiles under the North Sea, and the Fife field where he -went down a shaft two miles . under the bed of the River Forth. In these fields, as in a number of others in Britain, said Afr. AfcGhie, the coal seams were narfow q,itd very steeply inclined. This crffated peculiar ongineering difficulties vyhich were iiQt always t'ully understood when comparisons were ■■ ade between British pits and those overseas. Alany of the tnachines which bad been specially .dgsigned far digging coal under tfyese conditions, were most ingenious and all of tliem represented a great saving in labour. Particularly in the Durham pits he saw a number of meehanicn.l contliyances which he thought could be used effeetivelv in New Zealand. Conditions and ntnenities in Britislv pits natnrally varied eonsiderably, said Air. AIcGhie, and generalisations about them were apt to be misleading. He had been most impressed, however, by the progress made in installing safetv uevices and bv the . enthusiasm and technical effi^iencv of the engineers and many of the managers. ?,They were anxious to test any ideas -for- inereasing 'production and kpen ' to improve efficiency in everv way,-. .The standards of management, of course, also varied eonsiderably but it would be fair to sav that there was a goneral feeling both-on the part of the management and men, that contaet between the Coal Board and individual nianagements could be improved. During his visit to Britain, Air. McGhie lias inspected all the latesf types of Britisli coal cntting equipment and will report to the New Zea.land AHning Controller (Air. C. -H. Benney) ^.upon the suitabijity ofl some of tliis eqnipment. for ufl.©' ip Xew Zealand. One type of coal eutter known as the "are-sliearer," he thonght would be particularly useful in New Zealand pits. Various loading devices and equipnient for open cust; mining should also interest the XXew Zealand authorities. He found th£Tt iii. general British open east opei'ntions ■ entailefl removing as much as 100 feet of cover in order to work a four feet seam cf coal whereas 011 the Stockton field* in Xew Zealand, the seam, under a slightlv thinner cover, was 30 to 40 feet. Air. AfcGhie said that he had had every possible facility given him by the British Coal Board officials and "felt that as a result he had been able to earry out a very useful tour.