Honolulu Republican, Volume IV, Number 506, 25 January 1902 — AUSTRALIAN COAL CLAIMED TO BE THE BEST [ARTICLE]

AUSTRALIAN COAL CLAIMED TO BE THE BEST

R. B. Hogne. Representative of Large Newcastle Firm. Says So. CIVES HIDE FACTS AND FIGURES States Reasons Why Coal From the Colonies Is Superior. Australian Supply Reaches Between Four and Five Million Tons per. Annum —Is of Greater Value as Steam Coal Than Product From British Columbia 4 Puget Sound. Among the guests at the Hawaiian Hot-l is H 11. Hogue. of Janies and Ali-xaader Brown A Company, a large >ntl exporting firm in Newcastle., Australia. Mr Hogue is on his way fri'in the roaat. where he has been the representative of his firm for a nunib-r of y* ars. to Australia, where he will take over the management of a n* w mini which has just been open- • d th< re by his company The name of thi* noire t 8 Newfield. It is locat-j « 1 in the Newcastle district and taki - in 10,000 aerts of land. Thenare two distinct s-ams of coal, one lying underni ath the other, and the • oal taken from them is said to be; the finest yet discover'd in Australia The owners. James and Alexander Ftrown St Company, are the oldest' colliery people in Australia, being in tact the originators of private coal l mining In that country. They have, l>e» n lit the business betw-een fifty and sixty years. Is Better Steam Coal. Mr. Hogne. when sen yesterday, guv. home figure.* and facts with regard to the shipment of coal to these Islands, showing how the Australian < .ial holds the front rank here. He stat'd that while in former days, winn only about 4".0"0 tons of coal, were used a year here, this had beer sup) • I entirely from Australia. Now the < onsumption of coal in these islands runs up to about 800.000 tons a year, and coal is sent here not only) I:cm Australia, but also from British Columbia and Puget Sound. Coal is used here entirely for thej purpose of creating steam power, laig pumping plants and ocean going steannrs consuming the greater part of the supply. The Australian coal < an be supplied here cheaper, or a> cheaply as the coal from the! Pacific coast, the only reason for using the latter being that it can be b:> ught her. quicker on a r ush order than can be done frem Australia. Prices and Freight Rates. T1 price of coal ranges from $-.50, to $2.75 In Australia In British C.dumb-a coal of good quality costs, trom It to $4 5« a ton. and coal of ufe'.or quality $3 5" PtiK-t Sound; « a! lost-, from 12 50 to $3.50 a ton All these prices arc for the coal deliv* red free on Iniard ship. The freight rates from British Columbia and Pug't Sound to these i-iat i< have ranged from $3 50 to $4 r.o a ton. while the freight from Australia is uniformly $4 per ton of t < al. The reason why the freight rates nr.- iot much higher for the longer ■itsta;).,. u- tween Australia and HotieViiu •> that it pays ship owners to ■- nd th- ir vessels to Australia with i lumber. This tnab’es them to bring ■ < a! from Newcastle to this port on th- return trip at much lower rates than would I" the case If it was not Tor the lumber trade. The Australian and the British Columbian co». of course has the drawback that a duty of 07 cents a ton must be paid on it upon its en teruig this port This duty is re. funded, however, if the coal is ship p*d on to steamers and burned outside the Territory. Advantages of Australian. These figures from Mr Hogue shew ( w’-.at a great advantage the Austra- | t ian coal enjoys, it is much better -tea - . a! -ban Use PuK.t Sound teal which is mostly lignite and in 1 the be tter kinds onty serai bituminc s The coal from British Columbia 1 ■> more expensive as the merchants ’ ba\ • a good market in the States and ' do net care much about shipping It to Honolulu. Finally the total coal ! tut put of the Pacific coast Is estimat- . < d by Mr Hogue to be hardly one mil ' lion tons per annum, .while that of Australia is from four to five million ' tons yearly, which enables the mercha:; > of that place to sell their coal at a finch cheaper rate than would 1 pay the merchants in British Columbia i Mr. Hogue final!v clinched his argument in favor of the* Australian prodnet by pointing oat the fan that the Oahu Railroad and Land Company has had a large stock of Puget Sound I

• coal on hand for the last twelve months without b—,ag able to dispose | of I* as no one wanted it. because of :t* lew value as steam coal.