COAL SUPPLIES.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 114, 17 May 1927, Page 3

COAL SUPPLIES.

NO DANGER OF SHORTAGE.

IF RAILWAYS USED MORE COMMENT ON SYDNEY STATEMENT. The statement cabled from Sydney that Mr. J. T. Pettigrew was reported as saying that if the New Zealand Railways used local coal entirely, householders in the Dominion would l»e forced to go short, was submitted to representatives of various coal companies 111 the Waikato to-day, and the consensus of opinion was that there was 110 such risk. "Householders would not go short," said one gentleman. "The railways are now using some local coal, and if more is wanted, it only means the various mines putting on more men and increasing the output. There is iickshortage of coal, nor would there be if the New Zealand Government ceased its importations from Australia it would simply mean providing more work for our own mining community. Our mines in the Waikato were not working full time last summer." "What about the increased household demand in the winter?" "There would not be the slightest difficulty in supplying all the coal for the railways, and also the household requirements. We have the coal, and all it would mean would be to put on more men to get it out. "Mr. Pettigrew is agent for Newcastle coal companies, and of course it is to the ii.terest of Australia that supplies are sent across for use on New Zealand Railways. You can take it for certain that New Zealand coal mines are equal to supplying the railways as well as the household demand." This statement of the position was confirmed by other coal mine representatives.