SHIPPING AND COAL SHORTAGE.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 17809, 7 July 1923, Page 12

SHIPPING AND COAL SHORTAGE.

WEST COAST BARS BAD. An assertion has been made in connexion with the present shortage of household coal supplies that it is due in a large measure to ihadequate shipping facilities for tho transport o£ coal from the West Coast. This statement is contradicted by local shipping jnen, who state that tonnage is available in sufficient amount to deal with the transport of coal. The unworkable conditions of the bars at the West Coast cool harbours is the reason for the difficulty experienced ;n keeping up regular shipments of coal from the West Coast. STATEMENT BY MINISTER OF MINES. (kfbcux. to "ran rust.") WELLINGTON, July 6. Replying to a question by Mr I>. G. Sullivan (Avon) in the House, the Minister of Mines said, in regard to the coal shortage in Christchurch, the difficulty was in consequence of the large amount of Newcastle coal that was used and the recent stoppage of Buppliea from that quarter. .New Zealand coal mineowners had not looked to Christchurch to any great extent for a market. The .New /ieal&nd coal mineowners were pledged to make forward arrangements tor tno sale of their coal, and so is was difficult to divert coai to meet urgent requirements such as those at Christchurch. at short notice. Forward sales were necessary for the gasworks, which it was very important should be kept going. Beiore the member for Avon had spoken to him, the UnderSecretary of Mines had already taken steps about a fortnight ago to get an the coal it was possible to get delivered in Christchurch, and the Department was endeavouring also to get supplies of brown coal. In Wellington they were endeavouring to purchase brown coal from Auckland in order to release State coal for the gaa works. The Department was now taking further steps to see whether any of the Westport coal could be sent through the Otira Tunnel to Christchurch. He' did not know if that was possible. If it could be sent through the cost would be higher because of the charges on that line. The Department was doing all it could to get local mineowners to send supplies there. The real cause of the .failure of the supply in Christchurch was that tney had been depending on so large a foreign supply. Now, m their emergency, they were calling to the rest of the Dominion to help them, and the Department was doing all that it possibly could.

POSITION IN DUNEDIN. (specuz, to "tbh rwtse.") DUNEDIN, July 6. Enquiries made by a reporter to-day elicited the fart that though there is a general shortage of coal throughout New Zealand, the position in Dunedin cannot be described as serious. The manager of a large company said that while a little difficulty was being experienced in supplying industrial concerns with the bituminous coal that they required, householders .in Dunedin are well served by the very fine lignite coal now being mined. The output of this coal had been considerably increased as a lesult of the opening of the mines at Ohni, in Southland. So far as householders in this district were there should be no cause for alarm. The WefEport mines were working full time, but the output was quite inadequate to supply nil tha demands. Unfortunately a strike had taEen place at the 'Paparoa mine on the West Coast, but it was expected that as a result of negotiations now in progress a; settlement of the matter in dispute would be found ir. the course of a few days.

THE SUGAR OUTLOOK. A ''Press" reporter making enquiries into the question of sugar prices, has elicited the fact that the position has changed somewhat during the past month. The world's price is governed by the value of sugar in Ouba and Java. Two months ago there was fully £lO a ton difference between the value of sugar made in New Zealand and the Java article. It then looked as if a rise of £lO was imminent. Since then, however, the Java market ha& been steadily falling, and to-day it is below the present New Zealand price, landed Lyttelton under bond. The duty of Jd per lb plus the 1 per cent, primage means £5 a ton, and when this is added it makes to-day's price for Java some £3 a ton higher than the New Zoalnnd made article. It Avill thus be seen that the Java prices landed under bond are below present values in the Dominion, and it is the duty only that makes it 6omo £3 a ton higher than the local article. The position is now well within the grasp of the Government, and should they decide to take the duty off sugar, then the people who have been hoarding will have something to think about. In viewing the above position, due notice must be taken or the official statement made recently that the duty was not to be taken off sugar. Now that the Budget is down, with no mention of reduction in the sugar duty therein, importers must wait and see if any further decline takes place in Java. A drop of another £3 a ton will allow Java sugar to be landed and pold al Ihe same prices as ruling today. .

SffIPMENT OF PRODUCE. MONOPOLY OF SPACE DENIED. At Wednesday night's meeting of the executive committee of the Canterbury Progress Leaguo, Mr T. A. Blackley brought under the notice of the League a complaint made to him by a farmer that he had been refused shipping space for a consignment of potatoes to the North Island. It appeared, Mr Blackley stated, that certain merchants acquired all the space from the shipping company and prohibited growers from sending consignments on their own account.

The i-xistenoe of such a monopoly of shipping 6pace by merchants is flatly denied by shipping people who were asked about it by a reporter. One manager stated: There is no truth whatever in the statement, and anybody can ship from one bag upwards. Merchants have no such monopoly as that alleged; the law would prevent them obtaining it. I know of no instance locally of any refusal to take produce from the country in ony quantities. There is an occasional shortage of space, but if produce or other cargo is shut out or one boat it goes by the next."