COAL OWNERS

Hokitika Guardian, 24 October 1933, Page 6

COAL OWNERS

ANNUAL CONFERENCE.

(Per Press Association — Copy'ti\jht.)

WELLINGTON, October 24

The annuaLreport .presented to the conference of the New Zealand Coal Mine Owners’ .Association to-day states that liqtj-fpr ',mauy : , years havethe .in .production and . marketing of coal -been so groat'as during the last financial year of the Association. The decrease of out put for. .between 1931 -1632 has been almost as great as between 1930*1931 and the decrease for the nearly three quarters of a million tons. There has been a greater fall of output in the northern, district than in the West Coast or in. ..the southern distict and on the coast the output from co-opera-tive mines ha's fallen to a greater extent than the output of the Associa* cion member,s mines. The utilisation -of power per head is increasing steadily. hut the.,' importance of coal .is lessened because of the development of hydro electricity and substitution of oil in shipping. The tendency appears to be for the importance of coal to still further recede. If the hydrogeneration process for production of petrol proves profitable in England it is almost certain that efforts will be made to try ,it in New Zealand, but there are considerable difficulties to be overcome, in the interests of the coal trade. It is to he hoped that investments will not he made in hydrogeneration plants,' without a thorough investigation.

Commenting on the report, the president, Colonel W. I). Holgate, emphasised the need for rationalisation of tile industry and suggested' that the importation of coal and fuel oil might be restricted to the benefit- of those in the. trade and the country as a whole. He considered the hydrogeneration process was still in an experimental stage, but said the carbonising of coal is now a proved commercial success in England and Germany, and two years’ experience in running Waikato Plain had proved to the directors the company that the carbonising of lignite can be made a financial success. though- so far the industry was. limited to the production of briquettes. With a greater demand, it would be possible to produce benzine oils and other by-products, as was done in England and elsewhere.