COAL ON WEST COAST

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26395, 13 April 1951, Page 6

COAL ON WEST COAST

INDISCRIMINATE USE ALLEGED

“HOSPITALS SHOULD HAVE FIRST PREFERENCE” (From Our Own Reporter)

GREYMOUTH, April 12. Alleging tnat the authorities were “indiscriminately” stripping the West Coast of coal supplies for all purposes, not all of which were essential, the secretary of the Miners’ National Strike Committee <Mr R. Ross) warned the public and hospitals to-day that when coal stocks were exhausted miners might not be prepared to produce more for hospitals if the present "clean-up” continued. “We have been endeavouring to preserve coal stocks for hospitals and gas works, and we feel they should still have preference,” Mr Ross said. “What supplies are left now will be needed if the West Coast and other South Island hospitals are to get coal for the duration of the strike. “When we declared coal black we gave an assurance that supplies to hospitals would be maintained,” Mr Ross said. “But we are not prepared to hop in and produce coal after the remaining stocks are exhausted through being used indiscriminately for other purposes. We consider that South Island hospitals should have first preference and that the coal now available should be left for that purpose.” The miners’ committee was warning the management of the Grey Hospital of the position, Mr Ross said. While the authorities were busy declaring that all West Coast coil was being sent to the North Island for gasworks and hospitals there, brewery lorries and Nelson transport lorries were taking coal as quickly as they could from the bins at Wallsend.

“The brewery lorry is not carting coal for any purpose as necessary as the care of the sick. We know that when the West Coast coal stocks are exhausted the authorities will endeavour to put us on the spot and ask us to produce coal for hospitals. We say now th.-t we are not prepared to accept the responsibility for hosp’tal supplies while the authorities make indiscriminate us? of current stocks which would have kept the West Coast and South Island hospitals going. Though public opin’on may be formed against us, we have some sort of argument too, and if the hospitals ere to get coal, arrangements should be made to conserve current stocks for that purpose,” Mr Ross said.