THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. MONDAY, MAY 20, 1872.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1188, 20 May 1872, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. MOND AY, MAY 20, 1872.

Thd coal question is rapidly becoming a national one, and the continuous supply of this mineral to consumers, whether steamboats or private persons, becomes a question of material importance, without regarding it in a local light entirely. Though unquestionably tho Grey possesses the best mine in the Colony, we must say that the authorities of the various Provinces have been strangely remiss in fostering the coal interest. For many years there has been a regular coal trade existing between Wellington and Newcastle (Australia), and between England and Wellington. A large proportion of the steamers subsidised by the New Zealand Government have used Australian coal, whilst for steaming or other purposes, the coal of the Colony has been proved to be infinitely superior. From the Bay of Islands in the North, to Otago in the South, this mineral has been found in quantity ; but, notwithstanding this fact, coals have been imported by scores of colliers. Though in this case they have not carried coals to Newcastle, they have brought coals from Newcastle to a Colony that possessed them in quantity and quality, equal to the best of the original town of that name, and surely it is time that such a farce should cease. Some of the coal-carrying vessels between New South Wales and New Zealand have, we see, been, owing to various causes, placed hors de combat, and an interruption to their trade has taken place. As a natural consequence, consumers have toturn round and look for supplies nearer home, and profess to be impressed that they are so easily obtained. Speaking of the deficiency the Wellington Evening Post says : — "The tide in the coal industry of New Zealand has arrived, and if only the Government by a little encouragement would assist in the development of our mikes, the benefit to the Colony would be incalculable. Coal is scarce— not to be had in fact in Wellington and other parts of the Colony. The inconvenience arising therefrom is being seriously felt, and has reached such a pitch that the Government has issued a circular to the various departments, ordering that the use of coal should cease in Government offices until further notice. This little fact shows that Ministers are conscious of the scarcity, but they apparently lack the ability to turn the dust of common opportunity into gold. Coal is wanted here and elsewhere, and there are •"i n f; ip Hip. flolonv caDable of supplying might bo made on them. A little j udicioui action, and the coal trade between New Zealand and New South Wales, which has received a temporary check, would be thrown into our own mines. Such a chance as the present for, as it were, forcing the development of our coal mines, may not occur for many a year. Freights for colliers between New Zealand "and Newcastle have fallen so low that owners of vessels have sought other occupations. The Midas is wrecked, and the Esk has been by unfortunate circumstances driven into Brisbane, and temporarily at least out of the trade."

Any much more ignominious confession could scarcely be made than that a colony possessing within its boundaries millions on millions of tons of coal cannot by ordinary care and enterprise supply itself. That the Government of New Zealand with the coal resources within its midst should be compelled to order the cessation of the uae of that mineral in its offices savours of the ridiculous, and we heartily agree with our contemporary that there is something radically wrong somewhere. It is not, we fancy, very difficult, to trace the source of the trouble nor the reasons why the anomalies have arisen. As a rule the coal mines are in the hands of provincial rulers, and as a matter of course are muddled accordingly. Instead of proving profitable to the community at large or the general consumer, the most extraordinary and diverse systems of working are in vogue, and the result is simply ludicrous in°the extreme. On the* present occasion we are speaking of the coal supply as a whole, and think that tho General Government, or rather Legislature, should step in to the rescue in fact, and initiate such measures as would provide a remedy for the tinfortunate state of things at present existing. It is ridiculous in the extreme for New Zealand to send 3000 miles away for inferior coal whilst it is lying in vast beds within its own confines ; and yet the Legislature calmly allows that and take no steps whatever to ensure the proper and prompt development of the colonial mines. Probably the people of the Coast, and specially of the Grey, feel this neglect more than the public elsewhere, for here we have notably a mine | 'of indefinite extent and coal of the first qnality in the world, that is partially worked and is wholly mismanaged. The Brunner coal has stood the sharpest tests to which it could have been subjected. It has been through the Woolwich furnaces, has been critically reported on, and has come out of the ordeal with flying colors. Not only did the high authorities referred to speak highly of it, but it was shown I that in every respect, for all purposes it wus superior to the best mineral that the old country could produce. It is only a few years since these tests were applied, and people naturally would have thought that so satisfactory a result would have induced immediate action on behalf of the Government that had taken on itself the business of such a mine. This, however, has not been the case, aud the Nelson Government, since they resumed possession, have done nothing but retard the development of the mine. How they have managed, or mismanaged rather, we cannot say, but this we do know, that tho supply from an apparently inexhaustible coal bed, with easy water carriage, and every facility for shipment, haj

been intermittent and uncertain, and that no -vessel can come to the port with any certainty of obtaining either a return cargo, or even sufficient for steamer consumption. Only a day or so ago Ihe Wallabi left here with some five tons of coal only, the largest amount she could obtain, and her captain intended to put into West Wanganui Inlet for the purpose of obtaining the supplies he needed. Could there be a much more humiliating confession than this, and is such a state of things to be tolerated any longer 1 We find vessels going away., not only unloaded, but actually requiring what we possess in abundance and unable to get it, whilst the Nelson Government coolly and leisurely make an annual profit out of the mine and take care that no one else shall. Again, not content with driving trade away from the port in this manner, they offer all kinds of encouragement to the coal mines within the Nelson I district proper, as an instance of which we may say that they gave a bonus of five shillings per ton on all coal raised in Collingwood, whilst, on the other hand, they extract all the money possible for coal taken from the Brunner mine. Their policy is alike suicidal and unjust ; suicidal as neglecting to prosecute mining operations sufficient to supply the demand — unjust as making exceptional gifts in favor of more nearly local mines. The Brunner mine has fallen into very bad hands, and the same fate has occurred to many others. On the ground of public policy it is true that the Colony should not allow its wealth to be either wasted or hindered iv its development, and we sincerely hope that during the next General Assembly's silting some measure will be agreed to that will have the effect of placing coal mines, either under better control or in the hands of private persons who are bound to work them diligently under strict conditions. The Brunner working is a farce, and the Nelson Government, for the manner in which they have conducted it, deserve the most serious reprobation. As long as they hold the reins the mine will starve ; the sooner they lose power in that as in other respects, the better for the public of the Grey ValJey district.