372 COALFIELDS AND COLLIERIES OF AUSTRALIA. 



stored." A man at rest uses about 0.3 litre of oxygen per 

 minute, while severe exertion raises the consumption to 2 

 litres per minutes. 



The greatest drawback to the Australian coal mining in- 

 dustry is the constant labour unrest, generally culminating in 

 strikes of one or other of the various unions into which the col- 

 liery employees combine. Men connected with coal mining 

 seem peculiarity susceptible to strikes, they are utterly callous 

 as to how their actions inconvenience the public and the coun- 

 try, and yet they appeal to the public for assistance. Coal 

 miners are far better paid than metal miners'for the work they 

 do, but as the state of trade does not permit them to work full 

 time, they do not make so much for the year. Not being busi- 

 ness men, colliers believe those agitators who tell them that if 

 the masters liked to demand more for their coal, they 

 would be in a position to pay better wages. To a certain ex- 

 tent that might hold good for the home market, though then 

 manufacturers would have to charge more for the articles that 

 they produced with the expensive fuel, which in turn would 

 reflect on the colliers, so that when all is said and done, if the 

 workers do receive a higher rate of pay than in other countries, 

 the purchasing power of that money will be less in Australia, 

 so in the long run the workers are no better off ; on the con- 

 trary, they are worse off, for, with such high rates, they con- 

 not hope to compete successfully with other countries. But 

 there is a limit to all things, and if the price of coal and coke 

 is too high, these articles will be imported into Australia from 

 abroad, which indeed has already been done. By forcing up 

 the price of coal, New South Wales has indirectly assisted the 

 coal mining industry of other places. Near at hand, in Vic- 

 toria, the State has started a coal mine to supply its wants, 

 and, in consequence, New South Wales has lost that market. 

 Rather than be dependent on the vagaries of the coal miners in 

 New South Wales, the Western Australia Government sup- 

 port the Collie coalfield. Recent strikes have given a fillip 

 to coal mining hi New Zealand. But, in addition to this loss 

 in the home trade, the export trade has also suffered, for our 

 industrial troubles have helped on outside competitors, who 

 have not only secured fresh trade, but have captured some of 

 our markets ; and every man knows it is easier to keep a cus- 

 tomer than to obtain a new one. The total output of coal in 

 New South Wales for the year 1909 was 7,019,879 tons, valued 

 at 2,618,596, being 2,127,146 tons, worth 734.497, less than 

 the previous year. Of the above tonnage, 4,393,603 tons, valued 

 at 2,234,117, was exported, as against 6,098,676 tons, valued 

 at 3,021,021, in 1908, showing a decrease of 1,705,073 tons 

 and 786,904 in value. This fall off was mainly due to the 

 general strike of coal miners. Some of the trade may be won 



