The Evening Star TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1873

Evening Star, Issue 3120, 18 February 1873, Page 2

The Evening Star TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1873

Just as profound an apathy is evinced in Otago respecting the coal famine, consequent upon the Newcastle colliers strike, as on other subjects connected with the extension of trade of Dunedin. The Victorian Government have long ago offered a premium for the discovery of a workable mine of cpal: so long since that the search seems almost hopeless. Were such a treasure discovered there, no pointing out by the Press of the best means of utilising it would bo necessary to rouse the mcrcliants and public to the advantages derivable from it. Were it required to connect the mine with Melbourne by an expensive railway, the money would be forthcoming almost \yith(r out effort, 'fbey would see. in prospect an extension of their shipping trade, a cheaper supply of fu<d to the city, a motive power that has proved n Eighty wealth creator wherever it lias been iavsdable. It would be seen at oneo that they held under their command the means of employing an immense population, and that every member of the present community would participate in the prosperity %at must follow the opening up of a good supply of coal. So impressed have many of the (leading men of Victoria been with ithe desirability of securing to the Colony «o great an advantage, that they have spent vast suras of money whenever there were the slightest indications of success; although warned by able that their labor would be in vain. So were they, however, that they closed their eyes to the admonitions of science, hqped against hope, aud met with disappSomrii !Thb market of HelboHr'ne n epe» mi viitifll bo he supplied, mi get

only that of Melbourne, but of other countries, hitherto dependent upon the mines of New South Wales. We do not know of aui port in the Pacific so well prepared to take Newcastle’s place as Dunedin. There are pa} able coalfields elsewhere, but they are not ready. TV hilc their preparations are being made, Dunedin,.at least, could be establishing the, twufc. Coal lies almost beneath out feet; ye pass over hundreds of acres of it withm -a few miles of the Port, and yet we are content to see preparations going on around Us, and efforts made to supply the market with the utmost indifference. This article wilDbe -read this evening by probably more than three thousand persons; they will acknowledge its truth, sip their whiskey-toddy, smpke their meerschaums, atid say to themselves, “Very true; but who is to move?” Precisely the same question might be put in Tasmania, where !they have coal. They have put it and answered it, “ The community ismterested in it, and the community has moved. Inistcad of amusing themselves .with monster meetings to discuss or listen to the mysteries of spiritualism, they have met to consider how best they can bring their coal deposits to a profitable market, iPrecisely the same question is presented ;to the people of Canterbury. On Friday evening last a public meeting was to be held to consider the following resolutions: — To be moved by Mr W. Wilson, and seconded by Mr Sawtell—“That the recent intelligence from Newcastle, in New South Wales, ot the strikes and cessation of supply at the collieries ■ there, leads to the fear lest the price of fuel for household, manufacturing, and steam purposes i should be raised to a ruinous rate, even if the supply be not altogether discontinued for a time.” , To be moved by Mr John Anderson, and seconded by Mr Andrews-* 4 That it is therefore a matter of urgent necessity that the extensive coalfield now recognised to exist in the Malvern Hills district, should be brought into com-

raunication by railway with the City of Christchurch and the Port of Lyttelton, as [promptly and energetically.as possible.” To be moved by Mr W. Montgomery, and seconded by Mr W. Reeves-“ That the memorial to his Excellency the Governor now read in favour of the completion, with the least possible delay, of the railway from Rolleston to the Malvern Hills, and of improved wharfage accommodation at Lyttelton, meets with the earnest approval of this meeting.’ To be moved by the Hon. Colonel Brett, seconded by Mr George Hart-“ That the follow, ing gentlemen be requested to act as a committee to procure signatures to the memorial, to lay the circumstances in detail before the Honoiable the Minister for Public Works, and to take other legitimate steps towards promoting the above objects, with power to add to their number. (five to form a quorum), and to report progress to the public from time to time as may seem to them most advisable, namely **~« w Worship the Mayor, Messrs W. Wilson, Sawtell, Gould, John Anderson, Andrews, Reeves, and Bluett, with power to add to their number.”

The following is a copy of the petition “To His Excellency Sir George lerguson Bowen, 0.C.M.G., Governor and Com-mander-in-Ohief of New Zealand, &c., &c., “ The memorial of the undersigned inhabitants of Canterbury and adjoining portions of New Zealand, f “ Humbly sheweth,—That your Excellency’s memorialists have received withnlarm the recent intelligence from Newcastle, in New South Wales, leading to the conclusion that coal for fuel, manufacturing purposes, and steam traffic by sea and land, for which New Zealand has hitherto almost entirely depended on that distant coalfield, is almost certain to be grievously augmented in price, even if the supply do not cease altogether for a time. > “That, under these circumstances, it has become a matter of urgent necessity that the extensive coalfield of the Malvern Hills district, so favorably reported on by scientific explorers and analysts, as well as by practical < consumers, should be made accessible and utilised for the general advantage of New' Zealand with the least possible delay. “ That the reasons for this suggestion have been fully explained in a letter addressed to your Excellency’s Minister for Public Works by some of the undersigned and others. “Wherefore your Excellency’s memorialists humbly but earnestly pray, “ That you will cause prompt and energetic measures to be taken for the completion of the railway from Rolleston to the Malvern Hills, as already authorised by the General Assembly

*jid the Provincial Council of Canterbury, and . for the substantial improvement of the wharfage accommodation at Lyttelton.” Precisely the same question presents itself to the people of Wellington: vet a coal company has been formed there. And the same question has been earnestly considered at Nelson. Here then arc a number of competitors, not one of which is half so forward with its preparations as Otago; yet everyone is alive to the benefits derivable from the development of their Coalfields but us. From a descrip, tion given of the capabilities of the Malvern Hill coal, in a letter to the Lyttelton Times , we do not think it equal to many of the samples we have seen from different beds in Otago; and in order to shew with what the Province will have to compete, we subjoin that portion of it which describes the different tests I am of opinion that the most certain test that can be applied to fuel of any description is by the generation of steam and the result produced thereby. The better to illustrate my opinion, I may briefly state'my own experience, which is as follows In January, 1871,1 purchased from a person in the Hororata district 21 cwt. of coal from this particular part of the Malvern Hills, agreeing to pay the same price per cwt. as I would purchase Sydney Newcastle coal at the railway station, which at that date was 40s per ton. This quantity of coal I carefully tested against a similar quantity of Newcastle coal, with an eight-horse engine, having a full-sized Cornish boiler, and I found, as Mr Bird states, that it had rather a shaley appearance; but by admixing a certain quantity of water before putting it in the furnace 1 found in a short time it caked together, similar to the small coal used by blacksmiths in their forges. I found it to be a much more rapid generator of steam than Sydney coal, but it showed a deficiency as regards its sustaining power. It hod, however, this great advantage over the Sydney coal that it did not create anything like the quantity of soot, which speaks greatly in its favor as fuel for multitubular boilers. The ashes were very free from clinkers, which at all times prove very destructive to fire-bars. I admit that persons accustomed to stoking with Sydney coat would have to adopt a different system in the use of Malvern coal. The conclusion I arrived at was that 2 cwt. #f Sydney coal would perform about the same amount of work as 3 cwt. of the Malvern coal, 1 used, but sum* I made the above experiment I have been givsn to understand that the coal I experimented npo» was from one of the poorest seams that had been worked in the Malvern district, and I myself have seen samples infinitely superior from other parts of that district. Whilst writing on this subject I may mention , tbpit. I also tried Grey coal in a similar manner , against Sydney coal, ,ipd in taking weight for . weight. I found a saving of $9 per pent in favor pf tjie former. 1 have ever since yge 6f Grey ' 'conferevery purpose, wh en obtainable, alityough [ for purposes it .is 1 generally con- [ ft is calculated by gentlemen interested ; in the development of the Malvern coalfields,' that, ’ when she raffway is open and % mines are ' properly worked, they will be able tp deliver 1 their coals to consumers in Christchurch at r prices not exceeding 20s per ton ; and, in times L of great plenty, It Is scarcely possible to purr chase Sydney coal, delivered, fop less than 40s per ton. Therefore, this must show an immense ! saving, and prove of great advantage to local 5 consumers, to say nothing of being insured ; against a famine in coal, which is shortly antici- [ pated, and which has so frequently occurred f during the past ten years. I 'Jfh.c nicetings at the different places have , been convened and conducted by leading . landowners and merchants, who in this 1 respect hivij theawelvet! in advance fc of Wf a** that they®

are private companies who are waiting favorable opportunities for developing our coal deposits. If they wait, they will assuredly lose the golden opportunity, and it would, be better to invite co-opcra-tion and to open up a trade at oucc ( than allow Others to’ step in and dcoiifcy the ground. *J?he Hne is. nearly .ready to connect the Green Island pits with Dunedin by rail; yet no petition pointing to utilising this portion of out' , coalfield immediately has ever been mooted. TV ere this done, there would at any rate be a plentiful and cheap supply of first-class lignite. _____