N.Z. COAL OUTPUT

Grey River Argus, 18 September 1937, Page 5

N.Z. COAL OUTPUT

OVER MILLION TONS Good South Island Increase [Per Press Association]. WELLINGTON, September 17. The output of coal from the principal New Zealand mines during the first six months of this year exceeded 1,000,000 tons, an increase of close on 35,000 tons over the corresponding period of last year. This production maintained in employment an average of 4,346 workers, underground and on the surface. The Minister of Mines (Hon. P. C. Webb) said in an interview to-day, that the returns from the various coalfields showed that the South Island mines had increased their outputs by 62,000 tons, while, on the other hand, the production in the North Island had decreased 27,513 tons. The total production, he said, was 1,088,853 tons.

“An appreciable feature of the industry this year is the fact that,••for the comparative periods under review, the importations of coal dropped by 7,289 tons from 54,250 to 47,061 tons,” continued Mr Webb, “but against that satisfactory gain, our exports of coal decreased from 26,880 tons'in the first six months of last year, to 21,431 tons during the first half of tnis year, a drop of 5449 tons. In view o, the enormous increase in the use of electrical power and heat throughout the Dominion, the coal mining results are good.” “.4s Minister of Mines, I would have been better pleased had the industry been able to employ more hands, flhe increase in the average numov of workers was only 114, as compared with the average total during the corresponding period in 1936. Still, it is gratifying to know that the industry is sharing in national industrial recovery.”