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THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN

October 2, 1914

COAL MINING IN VICTORIA IN 1913.

The Brown Coal Industry—The State Coal Mine.

The annual report of the Secretary for Mines, Victoria,
for the year 1913, has just been issued. The production
of coal shows a slight increase, being 593,912 tons,
valued at £274,371, or 4,770 tons more than in 1912.
The State mine at Worthaggi was by far the largest
producer, with 486,238 tons ; the Jumbunna Company
raised 38,794 tons; the Austral Company, Korumburra,
33,461 tons ; andtheOuttrim Howitt Company, Korum-
burra, 22,460 tons. The Melbourne and Altona Com-
pany, at Altona, mined 2,984 tons of brown coal.

The State coal mine, according to the report, con-
tinues amply to justify its existence. A profit of
£41,463 was realised for the financial year, or £31,628
more than in 1912, this result being due mainly to the
better development of the mine and the introduction of
additional labour-saving machinery. Employment was

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given to 980 men, and the average earnings on contract
was 13s. 5jd. per workman per shift. The output now
well exceeds 2,000 tons per day of two shifts,

With the report is issued the report of the director of
the Geological Survey, Mr. H. Herman. He states that
prospecting for black coal was carried out in the districts
of Powlett, Kongwak, Leongatha, Kinak, Drumdle-
mara, Tarwin, Korumburra, Woolamai, and Jumbunna.
Of the 54 bores sunk, 33 were in the State area. Only
at Korumburra. Woolamai and Out! rim was any coal
of an encouraging thickness found, seams of from
2 to 3 feet being disclosed tlere.

The recent revival of public attention in connection
with the electrification of suburban railwaj s to the
prospective future utilisation of brown coal on a lai ge
scale has prompted a definite policy of development.
Superior beds of 100 ft. thick occur at widely-separated
localities on each of several ai eas, aggregating, probably,
about 2,000 square miles. Of the three principal areas,
one, known as the Laverton area, underlies Port Phillip
Bay. No action is contemplated regarding this at
present. The other two areas, aggregating about 1,000

square miles, are in the Latrobe valley and Alberton
districts, and important beds may be found eventually
to extend continuously between them. Mr. Herman
recommends that lands should be reserved in these
areas, and that a steady policy of boring should be
prosecuted. Brown coal has here been proved over
30 ft. thick in 11 localities, over 100 ft. thick in seven
localities, while in one place several beds revealed in
one bore aggregate 780 it. thick. During 1913, two
bores, one 1,358 ft. and the other 1,100 ft. deep,
penetrated several hundred feet of brown coal of good
quality, but the depth from the surface in both cases is
over 450 ft. Coal at this depth is unlikely to be utilised
in the early stages of brown coal mining in Victoria,
but there are many localities at which there is no
doubt that the coal beds will be reached at shallow
depths.

Particulars are also given of tests of various kinds of
fuel in a 35-horse power Cambridge gas producer and









Tangye single-cylinder gas engine rated at 22-horse
power. Some of these may be summarised as follows :—

Powlett „ .
coal. Coke'

Calorific value of fuel (B.T.U. per cub. ft.) 13,276 ... —
Calorific value of gas ( „	„	) 157’5 ..130’3

Fuel consumed per hour (lb.)—

(а)	Per I.H.P........................  0’906...	0’93

(б)	Per B.H.P....................... 1’13 ... 1’15

Tests were also carried out with Altona Bay brown
coal and Powlett slack coal, but were not very
successful, tar troubles being considerable, but the tests
were of little value owing to the fire being too cold to
burn up the tarry substances. The slack coal smothered
the fire. The Powlett large coal gave no trouble of any
kind. The mean analysis of the gas produced was as
follows :—CO.;, 8’9 per cent.; O, 0’3 per cent.; CO, 8’2
per cent.; CH4, 3’2 per cent.; H, 32’3 per cent.; N,
47’1 per cent.

A change-house and bathrooms have been provided at
the State mine. The building is of wood and corrugated
iron construction, with a concrete floor, and provides

accommodation for 400 men. Forty shower-baths are
provided, and an ample supply of hot and cold water is
available. Hooks attached to chains passing over
pulleys on the rafters are provided for the workmen’s
clothes, and these, when elevated, are dried by steam
heat.

THE LONDON COAL TRADE.

Thursday, October 1.

The London coal trade for the past week has not shown
any increase in activity, and the buying has been on a
limited scale. Late on Friday afternoon it was decided to
make an advance of Is. per ton in the public prices, but in
one or two cases this was somewhat strongly objected to,
and whilst all the principal merchants advanced, there were
one or two who declined. The pressure, however, in
colliery prices was too strong for them, and a compromise
was effected early in the week, and they decided to move
up 6d. per ton. The attendance on the market has not
been large, but the colder weather has had a distinct
effect upon the actual quantity of house coal con-
sumed. All colliery quotations have been advanced,
and where the special quotations have been the prin-
cipal prices worked upon, these have been withdrawn,
and a new list issued dating from October 1. In many
cases, however, no current lists have been published, as
they have very little coal to spare except for contractors,
and the diminished output arising from the lessened
number of men at work makes it difficult to keep pace with
even the contract orders. The public are not ordering
freely yet, so that the depot trade is still weak, but this is
not to be wondered at when the large number of orders in
July and August last is taken into account. The winter prices
for all contract arrangements come into effect on October 1.
The dealings on the market have not been very heavy, and
factors have been concerned more with clearing off the
balances of the old purchases rather than taking on any
new ventures. The end of the month also is always a slow
time for any extensive purchases, and very few collieries
are prepared to take on orders at the old prices, which
were likely to extend into October. The seaborne trade,
especially from the Humber ports, has been fairly brisk
during the week, so that the pressure arising from
undue quantities of Yorkshire and Lancashire coal
coming into the London market has been modified.
The Yorkshire prices, however, continue very low, so that
the North Derbyshire and Nottingham house coals are
still somewhat difficult to sell. Sharlston or Wallsend was
sold at 21s. 6d. on Monday, and 26 cargoes of North-country
coal were entered in the Thames for Monday’s market, and
only four for Wednesday. Steam coals are still maintaining
a steady demand, but slacks and small nuts are falling
rapidly in price. The extraordinary quantities offering in
every direction, both seaborne and inland, are keeping the
prices very low. The Welsh coal market continues firm,
especially for Admiralty descriptions, and 20s. to 22s. is still
quoted f.o.b. at Cardiff. Best South Yorkshire Hards are
quotedataboutl4s.f.o.b.intheHumberports. The reopening
of the Stock Exchange, and of the Metal Exchange, is looked
forward to in the near future, and it will undoubtedly give
greater confidence in buying on the London Coal Exchange,
especially in the seaborne qualities. The Baltic is closed,
and none can go to Germany or Sweden. Italy, however,
and the Mediterranean ports are becoming important
buyers, and whilst the French coal output is so restricted,
the English coal will have a decided advantage. The
wagon question is a very difficult problem. So many of the
London merchants complain of the non-receipt of loaded
wagons, and the serious delay to empties en route. During
the week a very important meeting was held at the
Cannon-street Hotel, and was attended by nearly all
the principal coal merchants of London, to consider
the recent proposals to the Government for 360,000
tons of coal for the relief committees. The offer was
to deliver the coal at 24s. per ton north of the Thames,
and 25s. per ton south, and the fear had gained currency
that one large firm alone would have the distributing, and
all others would be left outside. Mr. Hamilton Greig,
chairman of Rickett, Cockerell and Company presided, and
it was explained that all the principal London merchants
would get their full share of the Government orders when
they were given out,'and each of the London stations and
depots would have their full proportion of orders for
recipients near their own depots. The bulk of the coal
would doubtless be delivered in 1 cwt. bags, and certain
stations would be at a disadvantage over others because of
the higher railway rates. A committee was formed to go
into all details.

From Messrs. Dinham, Fawcus and Co.'s Report.

Friday, September 25.—The seaborne house coal market
was again quiet to-day, no ready cargoes of house coal
available. Cargoes 22.

Monday, September 28.—There was a slight improve-
ment in the seaborne house coal market to-day, and a part
cargo of Yorkshire best was disposed of at an advance on
last quotation. Sharlston W.E , 21s. 6d. Cargoes 26.

Wednesday, September 30.—The seaborne house coal
market was quiet to-day, no sales reported of either Durham
or Yorkshire cargoes. Sharlston W.E., 21s. 6d. Cargoes 4.

The council of the Junior Institution of Engineers have
elected the Most. Hon. the Marquess of Graham, D.L., C.B.,
C.V.O., as their president for the year 1914-15, in succession
to Sir Boverton Redwood, Bart., D.Sc., F.R.S.E. The
Vickers prize, consisting of a gold medal and premium of
instruments or books, has been awarded to Mr. James
Richardson, B.Sc., Assoc.M.Inst.C.E., for his paper on
“ High Power Diesel Engines: Their Development for
Marine Service.” Mr. Richardson has also been fortunate
enough in securing the institution medal for the same
paper. The other awards of this institution have not yet
been announced. It is interesting to note the excellent
progress made with the local sections in Birmingham,
Manchester and Sheffield. The membership has been con-
siderably increased during the year, and the committees of
each section are arranging a full and interesting programme
for the coming session.