1012 PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION H. 
No. 12.—COAL-MINING IN NEW SOUTH WALES. 
By J H. Rona.pson. 
(Read Wednesday, 12 January, 1898. ) 
[ Abstract. | 
In the year 1797 coal was first discovered in New South Wales 
at or near Coalchff, 35 miles south of Sydney, and a similar 
discovery was made a month later at Newcastle, where the coal 
was worked by the Government till 1829. Convict labour was 
employed during that period, and the total quantity of coal raised 
was 50,780 tons. 
From 1830 till 1847, the Australian Agricultural Company 
held the monopoly of working coal under Government land, 
although coal was to a very limited extent worked by others at 
the time from alienated land. 
The progress made in coal-production throughout the Colony 
may be gathered from the following figures, which include the 
outputs from the collieries of the Northern, Southern, and 
Western districts :— 
Year. Output in Tons. Year. Output in Tons. 
1831 4,000 1871 898,784 
1841 34,841 1881 1,769,597 
1851 67,610 1891 4,037,929 
1861 342,067 1896 3,909,517 
These figures indicate retrogression during the last few years 
rather than progress, and unfortunately outside competition has 
also forced down the selling price. From 1875 to 1885, the value 
per ton of coal exported dropped 24 per cent., and from 1885 to 
1895 33 per cent., or, in other words, the price obtained in 1895 
was less than half that obtained in 1875 dD. 
The causes conducing to this state of affairs show how ill-advised 
the efforts of labour leaders have proved in seeking to regulate 
the workmen’s earnings without due regard to the potentialities 
of outside competition. 
To the output of 1896, the Northern, the Southern, and the 
Western contributed respectively 67 per cent., 26 per cent., and 
7 per cent. 
THE NEWCASTLE COAL-FIELD. 
The Measures of this field dip generally towards the south, and, 
omitting the unproved strata of the Stroud district, are divided 
stratigraphically into the Greta, the Rathluba, and the Newcastle 
groups, occurring in ascending order as named, 
