THE OWNERS' SIDE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 283, 19 August 1918, Page 6

THE OWNERS' SIDE

NO PROFIT AT ALL. An estimate, based v;,pon information supplied to a "bun'" representative in Oeymouth, placed tho raitie-owners' profit at somewhere near 7s. per ton. When those figures were shown by another '•'Sun" reporter to a. local representative of the Blackball Coal Company, they were strongly challenged. In the other article it was mentioned that screened coal from the Blackball mine was delivered on board ship at Greymouth for 21s. per ton. Tho company representative states that in isolated instances of large contracts, that may bo so;' but the coal which comes to the Christchurch retailers, and so to the public, costs 265. Id. f.o.b.Greyaiouth.'Further cost to the consumer is mado up as follows:— a. d. Price f.o.b. Greymouth 26 1 Harbour J ] Freight 10 6 Hail to Ohriatchurch 4 5 Cartage from rail 2 0 Screening- and bagging 2 9 Rent and clerical expenses 1 6 Cost of delivery 5 11 Bad debts 0 6 Retailer's profit 1 1 65 0 The Greymouth article further stated that experts gave Us. as a fair estimate of the cost of bringing tho coal to the pif mouth. The Christchurch representative of the Blackball Coal Company declares that their pit-mouth cost is nearer 17s. than 143., and that, he emphasises, is for "face-coal"—for everything that conies up. When that faco coal is screened, from 50 to GO per cent, of slack is taken out, and the pit-mouth value of slack is only about Bs..por ton. This gives the pit-mouth cost of screened coal to bo 235. Id. Whereas the facts supplied to the "Sun" representative in Greymouth had estimated tho cost of labour and materials at 103. 3d. per ton, the Blackball cost is said to be fully 12s. Gd. It is true that screened coal is delivered in Blackball at 235. per ton— a loss—to compete with the State mine. One gentleman interviewed remarked that unscreened coal was charged 225. on rail from the Reefton mines. There is not much sold in Blackball at 235., as most of the residents there are miners, and so can get screened coal for 75., nuts for 55., and slack for 3s. per ton—a long way below cost. Far below 75., the company representative stated that, if everything went right, the profit of tho mineowner would be between 6d. and 9d. per ton. But as proof that things did not always go right, ho added that the Blackball Company had lost money for the past two years, and had not paid a dividend for four years. Miners' Explosives. Referring to the miners' complaint' regarding tho increased cost of explosives, a representative of the Blackball Coal Company supplied a "Sun" reporter with soino comparative figures. His company, he said, was itself bearing the larger part of tho increase, if miners bought their explosives from the compnny, as they were invited to. In 1914 the average, daily explosive cost per miner had been Iβ. 2.G9d. To-day it was Is. (j.3d. Tho comparative costs and prices charged to the miners were:— Coet to Company. 1914. 1918. e. d. s. d, Gelignite, per 601b 52 0 72 6 Monobel powder, por 501b. ... 51 0 69 6 Fuse, per coil 0 6J 0 9£ .Detonators, per 1000 60 0 119 0 Miners Charged. Gelignite per lb 16 16 Monobel, per lb 14 14 Fuse, per coil 0 9 0 9 Detonators 0 6 0 1 por 100 each Blackball miners could also get their tools from the company at cost price, which, seeing that there had been no need to import since the war, was prewar cost price.