STATE COAL.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1481, 2 July 1912, Page 2

STATE COAL.

AN ADVANCE IN PRICE. Cabinet li:k docidoil to raise the prico nf .Sialu wiiil by 2s. iiL-r trill. The! infiva.-f hil;«s c-lloct as fimn yol.'nlay. an,l will apply to all lioustliolil m;il m>l.l al tlic ili'pots. The rife, in price is ilinv In increased freights anil tn tlio inciea-eil eu~l of liumlliits coal nl Hie rvrions purls since lien- aifixwnmnls vieru nlitiiinctl by tho woi-Win coiicorneil. lAillcwin<r upon tho expiration oi' ciintrael-; which have run out recently, lrci-hls alone, from the West Coast in (lie purls imlii'iifceii, have ineroasfd us follow:-\Vcl-liiigl-nn, as. per ton Ui 5?. 7t1.; ()iiehuni;a, Bs. Ud. to !).s.; New Plymouth, (id. to D.-:. Freights to LyUclton, Tiinarn, Wiuiganiii, Jj'oxton, a.ml viirious other jmrts have increased by Oil. per ton. Freights to Xolson havo increased liy Is. lid. per ton, and freights lo I'ictou liy Is. per lon. .I'rivak' dealers in coal advanced prices by in. per ton sonic time ago. are the. prices at which coal has been retailed from the State depot in Wellington prior to tho increase, of 2s. per ton:— Tuwn: 2ils. per ton, 15s. per hall (on; 7s. Ud. per quarter lon. Suburbs: Hi*. I«>r ton; lGs. lid. per half (on; Bs. (id. per quarter ton. The increase entails an increase on these prices of 2s. per ton, Js. per half ton, ami Gd. per quarter ton. SHORT SUPPLIES. LABOUK DEPUTATION TO MINISTER. Tho short supply of domestic coal In Wellington was the text upon which a deputation from tho local Trades and Lnimur Council addressed the Minister for Mines (tho Jlon. .1. Colvin) yesterday. Tho members of the deputation weriv Messrs. at. J. Keardon. (president), W. T. Voiing, W. C. Noot, and 0. I l '. I!«yling (secretary).

JMr. ]!e»rdan enlarged upon the inconvenience suffered by Wellington residents owing to Hie shortage of coal, and Remarked that tho State Coal Department had not been administered as sympathetically as had been hoped. ]le advocated the opening of a State mine- in tho North Island, and the purchase of two State colliers for the. rapid transport of supplies from tho West Coast State collieries.

Mr. Young attributed tho shortage during the past fortnight to the low production, from tho Stale, mines. Instead of 100,000 tons, the estimated annual production, only about 190,000 tons were being delivered from tlio Port Elizabeth mine. During seven or eight years,'the Government had been persistently urged to provide its own colliers; he predicted that if this was done, State coal could be sold to the consumer at 2s. or :is. below the present price, and at a. higher profit to the State. To guard against interruption of the supply by bad Cars at Greymouth and Westport, a stock of 7000 tons or 8030 tons should be held in reserve in "Wellington. The cost of two first-class steamers would not exceed the annual expenditure of about .£51,000 on freight.

The Minister agreed that the Stale had lost through ils inability to fill orders. The dimcnlly was that the old mine was nearly worked out, and the new mine was hot yet opened. He hoped that arrangements would be made to keep every depot full (limns the next thrCL' or four months of cold weather': Though tho Department paid a large, amount for freight it received a compensation, as the. shipping companies purchased the soft coal, of which a. large quantity came from the mine. He promised to urge, upon the Government the wisdom of providing State colliers, a proposal with which he fully agreed. Mr. Keardon: Have you thought of opening n mini! in the North Island? Mr. Colvin replied that he was making inquiries regarding that matter, but unfortunately it was difficult to find a coal-bearing area that was not being worked by private enterprise. Mr. Youn.g added Dint even when fre-h supplies reached Wellington., (he Stale depot deliverd only during the ordinary .working hours, and in order lo'overtake the arrears of orders, refused new ones, l'rivato firms delivered day and night, end < were able to meet (ho n;e:ls of their customers.

' Mr. Colvin: I do not think that ivas very wise, and I shall look into the matter. Perhaps they were considering Labour interests, and did not want to employ men overtime.