PREFACE 



Coal mining plays so large a part in the mining opera- 

 tions of the Commonwealth, and especially in those of the 

 leading State, that it is matter for surprise that no publication 

 has yet been devoted to its glorification. New South Wales 

 is distinguished among all the Australian States for the varied 

 character and extent of its mineral output ; yet, great as is its 

 wealth in gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, iron, tin, and 

 cement, the value (3,010,000) of its coal output in 1910 

 was more than equal to that of its two chief metals, silver 

 (1,405,000) and zinc (1,290,000), even though the latter 

 was largely the outcome of the treatment of ore mined years 

 ago. In the value of the State's total mineral output to the 

 end of 1910, coal again takes first place, with a value of more 

 than 62,000,000; gold coming next, with nearly 58,000,000; 

 silver and silver-lead third, with over 52,000,000; and copper 

 fourth, with less than 11,000,000; tin, zinc, shale, iron, lead, 

 noble opal, and cement toiling far behind. The total New 

 South Wales production of coal has amounted to between 160 

 and 170 million tons, and there can be no doubt of the promi- 

 nence of this mineral among the factors of the mineral wealth 

 of the State. 



Taking the whole of the Commonwealth, we find that coal 

 takes second place, being surpassed only by gold. The total 

 figures for 1910 are not available at time of writing, but those 

 for 1909 showed the value of the gold production to be 

 12,605,000 to coal's 3,084,000, copper's 2,333,000, silver's 

 1,500,000 (approximately), and zinc's 1,042,000. In the 



V. 



