Alleged Coal Combine.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 7, 3 October 1907, Page 7

Alleged Coal Combine.

ANTI-TRUST BILL, MOVEMENT TO RAISE PRICE. .' OWNERS' MEETING. By Telegraph—Association—Copyright. - Sydney, October 2. A meeting of the northern colliery proprietors will be held to-day, it is understood to discuss the question of the raising of the price of coal to 12s. Melbourne, October 2. In reply to enquiries as to whether the Government intended to tako action in regard to the coal "vend," Mr. Deakin (Federal Prime Minister) §aid that a Bill would be introduced in the Senate to-day to amend the Anti-Trust Act in tho direction of giving the Government further powers of dealing with combines and trusts. The owners' , defence, with regard to . the Ennerdnle incident, is understood to be that no cargo has been refused for any other reason than tho pressure of demands. Leading coal importers in Melbourne, interviewed as to a proposed increase of Is. per ton on the price of Newcastle coal by tho fcool combine, described tho advance as justifiable. They stated that in recent years the price of Australian-coal has been nnprecedentedly low, due chiefly to the supply being much greater than tho demand on tho Australian market. Within the last few months, however, the cost of coal has increased enormously -in Greait Britain. Din ing the same period a great scarcity of coal has been experienced on the. west coast of America, "and foreign coal buyers are looking to New South Wales mines for supplies. So great is the demnnd for coal at Newcastle u't present that intcr-Stato shipping companies have been seriously inconvenienced. Now from eight to ■ten days, instead of from 3G to 48 hours, are occupied'in'loading, owing to tho long delay to which vessels are subjected in securing berthage. As thu expenses of each vessel when coal loading, or waiting for a berth, amounts to .£SO or JECO ner day, according to its size, considerable financial loss is involved. The great demand for coal has one blight aspect, in that tho New Zealand West Coast increasing output is likely to find readv snle. 'Groymouth expects to' increase iier annual shipments from 272,000 tons to i 50,000 tons, and Westport, now sending away 000,000 tons, expects to increaso that figure by at least 200,000 tons.