Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, SEPT. 6, 1900. The Coal Famine.

Manawatu Herald, 6 September 1900, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, SEPT. 6, 1900. The Coal Famine.

The report of the committee set up last Session to inquire into and report on the prices of coal in the various centres of population, hns only lately been printed and circulated. The report of the findings of the committee is very brief, and it does not illustrate that they see any way out of the present difficulties, except in that they recommend the Government to obtain expert information as to the price at which coal can, at a reasonable profit, be conveyed by sea, and, failing the adoption of such scale by the companies interested, that the Government take into consideration the advisability of procuring steamers for the purpose of conveying coal to the various ports. The Union B.S. Company charge for freight from Westport to Wellington 5s 8d per ton, and to Lyttleton 6a 3d per ton, so that considering there is no cargo to Westport, the charges appear to render reduction very difficult.

The great difficulty in the coal trade appears to be the insistance of purchasers on having screened coal, as by that a lot of waste, difficult of sale is MOumulaUd. From th*

evidence of men who ought to know what they were talking about, thi* desire of householders to obtain lumps of coal in order to have the amusement of breaking them up themselves, is both absurd and very expensive. Mr Ronayne said he " thought the . Wellington people should use unscreened coal, and it would largely assist the mines if thoy did so. The slack of Westport coal and the round coal makes an excellent fire, and it wiU not burn away so rapidly. I burn slack mixed with coke. The coke is produced from Westport coal, and the slack come? from Westport." In answer to another question Mr Ronayne said " Well, people like to have a nice, bright, quick fire, and a more cheerful fire is obtained by use of screened coal If you want to study economy you must burn unscreened coal." Mr S. Brown, tho coal merchant of Wellington, said it was a great waste the way the coal is burnt. Westport coal should be burnt as it comes out of fcho minfi. without being pcreenp.d. Wiuui in WestDorc iae saw people jurning unscreened coal and throwing a little water on to it, and it burnt splendidly. It is a waste of coal and a waste of money the way it is done now. He remarked that in the old days, when they used to carry the refuse from the outside " you would notice in passing along the streets the tins full of coal and cinders. I was told one day by a friend, who Was a mine-owner, that he used to silt his cinders, and I replied that I used to do the same." To further illustrate the extraordinary wants of buyers Mr Brown declared that the Government were the biggest sinners. "In the Government Building 3 they want the biggest lumps, and I have had to set my men to hand-pick the big lumps of Newcastle coal, because We3tport was not big enough to suit them. They smash it up in the boxes, and then they tell you that there is slack left. For peace sake we have carted it away." The Hon H. J. Miller, M L.C., the Chairman of the Westport Coal Company said that the contention that coal by being broken lp was injured for household purnoses was a matter of prejudice. In his own house he always used the coal as it came from the steamer, and got along very well with it. In his opinion screening added immensely to the cost of coal. He referred to a circumstance that occured last session : "I complained to my landlady of the coal in the very cold weather. I asked her whore she got it, ani said that it was not proper coal. She told me it was Westport. I replied it was not. I then' asked her what she paid for it, and she said she paid £1 18s a ton, and that half a ton only lasted her five days. I advised her to go down to the Westport Company's office and order coal from the ship's aide, and pay the £1 5s a ton. The coal was brought up and I saw the receipt. It cost her just £ 1 9s a ton delivered, and put into her ittle coalcellar. A day or two after I asked her about the coal, and she said " I can cook the dinner now in half the time." She was paying £ 1 18s for all sorts of mixtures - rubbish." Prom this evidence we can all learn a useful lesson and secure coal in a .nore economical manner, and assist the industry at the same time.