STATE COAL.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1653, 21 January 1913, Page 8

STATE COAL.

. ' NEW MINE'NEARLY READY. - .' The, output of State coal will be considerably' increased at an' carl J date .by' the. opening of tho new mine (Number' 2) at 'Point Elizabeth. The output of the mine now being worked'at Point Elizabeth is' 700' tons per day.' The new mine is being equipped for an output, of; 2000 ions'-..per day;; In order to .provide means, of trans--1 port'to and iioin tho new, mine, a line,of railway about four miles] long had .to be built irom the Number 1 State colliery at Point Elizabeth. Owing to tho rough and hilly-nature of the country, through'which the line passes, it is being' constructed with three rails, and will, be worked in the'.-samia manner as tl:e line over /the Rimutbka Incline. The /ordinary rails have been put down over the whole' length of the line, but the third rail has not yet been added, and' the' ballasting is incomplete. Some .simple station buildings 'also liavo to be erected, but work both oil, the line and oh the new colliery itself is well advanced. /

The number of men employed in the present State collieries shows a falling-off, , but the opening of the new mine will raise the total number, of workers: employed considerably above' the! former level. . ■ I The Government mining experts reported' in 1907 that six seams of. high-class bituminus coal existed upon the property, which is now approaching: the output stage, and in August, 1912, Mr. J,. Bishop (manager of the State collieries) reported ■ that there was in situ "132;435,800't0ns of coal, of which he estimated that 19,6(13,423 tons might be' won, "being sufficient to provide 1 an annual outnut of. 500,000 tons for a period of 99 years." , Tliis estimate, was arrived at by Mr. Bishop after a considerable amount of exploration had,been carried opt under his directions. . ' At' the end of March, 1912,/ capital amounting to JE9O.MS had been expended in development work at the new mine, aiid it was then estimatetl that a further expenditure .of i£lo,ooo to -d 815,000 would be needed bsfore the mine was opened. Upon the railway giving access to the. inine, the sum of <£159,177 had been expended up to the end of March, 1912, and it was estimated that it would cost another .£IO,OOO or i£12,000 to complete the line. .