THE STATE MINES

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2121, 13 April 1914, Page 7

THE STATE MINES

AN OLD PIT .CLOSED DOWN. (By Telerraph.—Press Association.? Ti, * ~., •„ Westport, April 11. The Seddonville State colliery is to close down at the end of the month, it is.understood permanently. The Hon. W. IVaser (Minister of . Mines) confirmed the above report when . he was questioned by a reporter on faaturday, aud said that the mine was to be shut down because there was no more coal. ... . Tho shutting down of the Seddonville mine was foreshadowed in the annual report upon the State coal mines presented to Parliament last year. The general manager (Mr. W. C. Gasquoine) said in the course of -his report: "Owing to the exhaustion of hard coal and the poor quality of the soft coal rendering it unsaleable, operations at Seddonville , must shortly be abandoned." •Hie mine manager (Mr. J. A. James) referred to tho subject as follows:— . ' ~ For. a great part of the year there was a keen demand <for all classes of coal, thus enabling a largo number of eott-coal places to be worked, hut during the latter part there has been more demand for screened coal, the consequence being that the soft coal places, of which thero are many in this mine, have been stopped. Having in view the near exhaustion of the mine, it would ; not be out. of place to mention that if only hard-coal places are to be worked • in .the future, the time is fast approaching when operations will have to be abandoned.' , ■ . , ■The Seddonville mine has occupied! an ■ unimportant place in the State mining enterprise for some time past. In the year ended March 31, 1948, the output from Seddonville amounted , to 66,754 tons, of which 66,950 tons wero available for disposal. In the eame period the Point Elizabeth No. 1 State colliery produced 179,472 tons, of which 160,084 tone were for, disposal. The .. best source of supply in future, how- . r ever, will'be the new mine, known as .;. the Point Elizabeth No. 2 colliery, which ..• .was only developed to the. production stage last year. It is calculated that ,' on a-safs, estimate this mine contains , 66.000,000 tons of coal, of which prob'- ■ ably. 75 per cent, will bo found workable. ~;There are.five workable eeams'of coal, /three of whict will bo almost wholly ' above water level. As yet tho new mine , is being worked >iy a small staff on day wages, but the staff is to be augmented as soon as an award, which has been applied for, has been issued by the Arbitration' Court. The application is to some before tho Court on April 22