THE BRUNNER COAL MINE.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 22, 24 June 1871, Page 2

THE BRUNNER COAL MINE.

That rather old-fashioned conveyance known as the Nelson coach has for a long period been drawn up under the hedge by the side of the road. The passengers for some time bashed con* tentedly in the sunshine, and took credit to themselves for having kept out of danger, and on not having run into debt for paint and repairs; but they appear to be at last discovering that, in spite of occasional mishaps caused by kicking or bolting horses, the other Provincial vehicles have passed them, and aie leaving them far behind. They begin to perceive that their driver not only deserves but little credit for having avoided collisions by the simple expedient of pulling up out of the road, but that he has failed to fulfil that simple duty of progressing, which is the very raison d'etre of his office, and which he was specially appointed to perform. Abandoning our metaphor, we are glad to hear that the Superintendent of Kelson has departed from that masterly policy of inaction to which hehas hitheito adhered, and that he has taken steps to establish railway communication between the Brunner coal mines and the port of Greymouth. The Colonial Engineer and Dr. Hector have recently visited the Grey for the purpose of deciding, from a colonial point of view, which side of the river is most suitable for a railway. Their report has not yet been made public, but we may assume that, either on the Nelson or the Westland bank of the Grey the construction of the railway will shortly be commenced. But, it may be asked by some of those who are not among the most farsighted of our readers, how does this concern us in Wellington ? We think that we can show in a few words that the development of the Brunner mine is a matter of the very greatest interest to every one of us. In the first place, we are all of us directly interested in obtaining a regular supply of cheap and good coal, both for our own consumption, and for the use of the steamers in our port. Secondly, it is, as we have repeatedly urged, clearly to our advantage to promote the prosperity of every part of the colony, for while, on the one hand, no district can suffer without moie or less infecting healthier localities, on the other hand, no part of the colony can make progress without contributing, in some measure, to the prosperity of the colonial capital city and geographical centre. In the third place, it should be remembered that, while in this province we purpose boiling down our stock, and are large importers of Australian coal, the west coast of the Middle- Island is in a position to supply us with excellent coal and has a population of more than 30,000 hungry miners ready to consume our stock and dairy produce. One part would derive as much benefit from the interchange of commodities as the other, and we are, therefore, almost as much interested as the people of Greymouth can be, in the cheap working of the Brunner coal mine. If there had been greater facilities of communication and regular courses of trade established between different parts of New Zealand. Mr Fitzherbert would never have seen those 200 kegs of Victorian butter landed at Hokitika, while at the same time the outgoing steamer took 200 kegs of Canterbury butter to Melbourne. We learn from the Customs’ returns that the colony, while possessing some of the finest and most easily worked seams in the world, imported during last year 93,424 tons of coal of declared value of £130,612.

When we add that, supposing Nelson to be disqualified on account of its tidal harbor and its unfortunately remote position at the head of a long bay, Wellington is the nearest port of any importance to Greymouth, we think that we shall have shown sufficiently cogent reasons for calling the attention of our Wellington leaders to the subject. ... The Brunner mine is situated on the north bank of the Grey river, about seven miles from the port. It is thus described by Dr Hector, in reply to questions put to him by the Joint Committee on Colonial Industries:— “ In the case of the Grey river coal and several others, 95 per cent, of the whole coal is combustible

The seam is over eighteen.feet in thickness, and is remarkably pure and free

from irregularities, either in structure or quality. The roof is generally hard and sound, and the mining operations are of the simplest character. Hitherto the mine has been worked above the water level, so that there is no expense incurred for pumping or hauling. I estimate the quantity of coal ascertained to exist in the one mine already open as several millions of tons. I consider the Grey River coal to be superior in quality to the Newcastle coal, because every part of it may be rendered available; the smallest slack forming, without any difficulty, coke of the highest quality—better coke than you could get in any part of the world. There has never been enough of coal produced to meet the demand at the Grey River. The coal has hitherto been brought down the river in barges ; and, owing to the shallowness of the river, only a few tons could be taken at a time. The bar at the mouth of the Grey River might cause an interruption of traffic from time to time; but vessels drawing ten feet could be constructed so as to be able to convey a large quantity of coal. I understand that natural difficulties equally great have been overcome in delivering coal from the mines in New South Wales.”’

The Brunner mine was first worked in 1865 by a small party of miners. In the following year, it was leased to a company, who represented themse'lves to be Ballarat capitalists, but who failed .to fulfil the conditions of their lease, which was consequently cancelled in 1868 by the Provincial Government of Nelson, who have since that time retained the management of the mine in their own hands. For some time past, they have sold about 1000 tons per month. The mine has hitherto been worked on an expensive system, by putting in long narrow drives for prospecting and. ventilating purposes : more with a view to the ultimate benefit of the mine, than with the object of bringing a large quantity of coal into the market. We have been informed that the Nelson Government cleared a net revenue of £1,200 from the mine last year; or in other words, made a profit of 2s per ton on the coal; but we can hardly bring ourselues to believe it possible that such a shortsighted suicidal policy can have been pursued; or that any Provincial Government can have acted so inconsistently as to dole out subsidies to the growers of mulberry trees and flax bushes with one hand, while with the other it was stifling a far more important young industry, by trying to squeeze a revenue from it. When there is much water in the Grey River, the barges cannot get up to the mine ; and when there is but little water they cannot bring a load of coal down to the port. Considering all these difficulties, we are not surprised to learn that the coal has hitherto been sold at t.he pits’ mouths at the high price of 10s per ton; or to hear that those who are best acquainted with the subject, are confident that if a railway were constructed, and the mine systematically worked on a large scale so that the miners could be sure of regular employment, coal could be profitably delivered at 5s per ton at the mines, and 7s at Greymouth.

Taking a liberal estimate, we vili suppose that it can be delivered on board at Greymouth at eight shillings per ton, or at about the same price at which coal is shipped at Newcastle, it then remains to be considered whether the cost of transport from Greymouth to Wellington (about 280 miles), plus the cost entailed by the dangers of the Grey bar, would be equal to, or less than, the carriage from Newcastle to Wellington. Grey coal is now delivered on board at Greymouth at sixteen shillings per ton, and it is encouraging to find that it has recently been delivered oa the Nelson wharf at twenty-six shillings, or at about the same price at which Newcastle coal is sold to the steamers here. The Grey bar can frequently be crossed by vessels drawing ten feet, and sometimes even more, but it cannot be safely worked all the year round by any vessel drawing more than eight feet. Nov, we believe, that there would be no difficulty whatever in constructing a vessel specially designed for the purpose of carrying 250 tons on an eight-feet draught, which might be towed over the Srey bar on almost any day during the year. Steam colliers would be unsuitable, for a vessel of auxiliary power could not

safely cross the bar, and full-powered steamers would be too costly.

The towage across the Grey bar should certainly not cost more than £25 in and out, or 2s per ton, and for the remainder of the voyage, including freight, insurance, and all other cearges we will t .alow another Bs. Hence, it appears that if our figures are correct—and we believe that they err only on the side of liberality—as soon as the railway is completed from the mine to the port, Grey coals can be laid alongside the Weliington wharf at 18s per ton, and sold at a fair profit at a price several shillings less than that of Newcastle coal.

Is their sufficient enterprise and foresight among our business men to follow this subject up persistently ? We trust that there may be, but at all events we commend it to the attention of our representatives who will do well to impress upon the new Parliament that the development of our coal mines is a matter of colonial importance which concerns other people besides the Provincial Government of Nelson.

There have been committees and commissions investigating the habits of silkworms, and subsidies have very properly been granted for the encouragement of these industrious and interesting caterpillars. We should be sorry to say a word in disparagement of such deserving insects, but we may perhaps be permitted to express a hope that at least an equal share of attention may be devoted to the production of the “ black diamonds,” which have so largely contributed to raise our mother country to her place among the nations.

A plentiful supply of cheap fuel is indispensable to the successful carrying out of the Government policy of railway construction and encouragement to native industries and manufactures; while the addition to our population and the clearing of our forest bush that it contemplates, point to a great increase in the consumption of coal as an article of household use. Whatever concerns the advancement of the, colony, concerns every part of it, but we repeat, in a greater degree, its capital and central harbor. Let us see the colony develop its resources, let us see Wellington become the central coaling depot for the colonial shipping, the central terminus of a colonial railway system, 1 ! and the centre of distribution for native manufactures; and, unlike our contemporaries, we shall not lament the absence of Lady Bowen, or seek to tear her away from her New Zealand Argos. Let but Wellington become what her spacious harbor and central position destine her to be, and Auckland like her classical prototype may continue to boast — “Here are her arms, her chariot here!”