The Daily News WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10. NEW ZEALAND COAL MINES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 205, 19 August 1908, Page 2

The Daily News WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10. NEW ZEALAND COAL MINES.

Tho annual report oi' the .inspecting Engineer of Mraes has jusl beeu published. Xiiu "Utago Daily limes'' has analysed the report thoroughly, and remarks that an interesting table discloses the fact that up to the cad of last year tlie coal harvest of New Zealand amounted to over 25,000,000 ions. The increase i.i output irum year to year has been apparently wry steady, and the yield of 1,831,000 tons in 1!)07, and that of f>58,1>21) tons in ISB7. Last year's increase represented a gain of nearly 0 percent, on the previous year's output. In producing this total 3010 men wore engaged, 1140 working above and 2707 working below ground, tliL' average amount of mineral raised per underground employee during t'he year being 002 tons. As giving some idea of Uie risks run by the minor it is inLeresti.ig to note (says tiio "'limes'') that the toll levied by the coal mine* of New Zealand during twenty-nine vears has been 205 deaths, an average of seven per year, which is above the normal record, owing to t'lic fact that tiio years uf 1878 and iSVKi, uiHiUed by disasters at lvaitangata and Brunnyr respectively, were responsible for nearly half the total. Last year's mining oper- ; aiions were attended by more lata! i accidents than have been recorded v:

any single year with the exception ot | the years mentioned, the Nightcaps \ disaster contributing materially to this ' result. Of serious but non- fatal accidents occurring during the year the number recorded is thirty-three. It js instructive to regard the annual coal output further trom the point of view of quality and from that oi distribution. As to quality, last year's yield contained over two and a half lons of bituminous and ,semi-bitum-inous coal to every ton of town coal or lignite. As to distribution, the A\est Coast district easily produced mure coal than all the rest of the Dominion, the fact that the southern districts comes next to it in fuel productiveness, explaining further Lhe eircumsta'nccs that the South island provides nearlv live-sixths of the coal supply ot New Zealand. In magnitude of operations the Westport collierivs Wr.it at employing 025 lueu and that at iMillerto-u 40U men—easily take pre-eminence. In output the. State mine at l'oint Kfabeth comes

next, and H employs 280 men. llie Taupiri (Huntly) and Kaitangata collieries also assume prominence by virtue of their output, 3<i.> men being •emploved by the former wind 320 m the latter. The State coal mines have a special department, report to themselves. Their gross output last year 1 was 282,285 tons, of wllnch the Point, Elizabeth mine contributed 233,41)7 awl the Scddonville colliery, for which a brighter future is predicted, 48.788 tons Railways and other (Jovermnent departments absorbed about two-thirds of the c»al produced, lhe report, however, v emphasises tihe success which ha* a/,tended the establishment ot depots for the distribution of State, coal to tne public, and states that it is the intention of the Mines Department to extend this class of business where cir- ; enmstaneos warrant the establishment of depots, and to make arrangements, if possible, with municipal bodies to undertake the sale and distribution of coal in localities where State depots could not be run with financial success. Reference to the balance-sheet shows that the operations of the state i oai Department "were carried on at a prnnt of £8440 for t'he year. This amount includes a profit of C 417 on thw year* business at the Cbristchurcli coal dojtot and a profit of £2Ol on the Wellington J depot.