1378 AUSTRALASIA ILLUSTRATED. 



adopted the sliding-scale, adjusting the wages to the fluctuations in price ; and then the 

 price was raised from eight t6 ten shillings per ton. The next strike was caused" in 

 1873 by a dispute between the masters and the men on the question of the number of 

 daily working hours, and here the men were again eventually successful. The price was 

 raised successively from ten to twelve, and then to fourteen shillings per ton by the 

 Association, and, as the trade began to fall off with the rise in prices, it was found 

 that the agreement subsisting between the associated masters and men was threatened by a 

 return to lower prices and wages, and renewed competition in underselling. Then the vend 

 scheme was proposed by the masters, to preserve in some way the balance of property among 

 the collieries, but this was found to have some weak points. Finally, an agreement was 

 come to among a majority of the colliery companies of the district, establishing a new 

 and more stringent vend agreement, fixing the price of coal at the uniform rate of ten 

 shillings per ton once more, with a proportionate increase in the wages of the miners. 

 The rate, at the instance of the miners, was afterwards raised to eleven shillings, at 

 which it has remained. Other strikes have occurred since, notably one in 1888, which 

 at one time seemed to threaten the destruction of the Australian coal trade altogether. 

 The effect had already begun to be felt all over the colonies, but a compromise was 

 happily effected, and the miners returned to work. All the coal-mines in the colony were 

 involved in the great strike of 1890, and coal-production ceased, except for the small 

 quantity raised with difficulty by non-unionist labour. The Illawarra coal-mines have 

 also been very productive, though not to the same extent as those in the Northern 

 District. In 1890, there were sixteen registered mines, spread over the districts of 

 Nattai, Mount Kembla, Mount Keira, Berrima and Bulli. The coal-mines of the 

 Western District are fifteen in number, distributed over the locality of Eskbank, Bowen- 

 fels, Lithgow, and the Vale of Clwycld. The wealth of New South Wales in this particular 

 mineral is regarded by experts as practically inexhaustible. The total export for the 

 colony for 1890 has been officially stated at 1,821,874 tons, as against a total for 1880 

 of 753,356 tons. The total value of the export for 1890 was ,987,173 sterling, and 

 the colony numbers the United States, Hongkong, India, Chili and China, besides the 

 adjacent colonies, among its largest customers. The export to Victoria alone, for 1889, 

 was 857,578 tons, valued at ,488,344 sterling, while that to the United States 

 was 407,601 tons, valued at "226,956 sterling. The best Australian coal contains less 

 sulphur than the foreign article, and has six per cent, greater specific gravity. The 

 total output for New South Wales for 1888 was 3,203,443 tons, more than thirty-eight 

 per cent, of which was absorbed by domestic consumption. In 1890 ten thousand four 

 hundred and sixty-nine persons were directly employed in the coal-mines of the colony, 

 and for 1889 the increase in the output was 511,220 tons over the preceding year, 1888. 

 It has been computed that the quantity of coal obtained from the mines of New South 

 Wales up to 1890 amounted to a total of 49,812,814 tons, of the sterling value of 

 .24,066,243, and the demand is at present increasing. 



Victoria has not yet been so far fortunate as to discover any remarkable pay- 

 able coal deposits, though the search for them has been actively prosecuted. 

 Four seams were found at Cape Paterson in 1885, the best measuring two feet 

 ten inches, and at Mirboo, a five-foot seam has been struck. During 1889, 



