WATER LEVEL ON GREY BAR

Press, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 26854, 6 October 1952, Page 8

WATER LEVEL ON GREY BAR

IMPROVED DEPTH IN WEEKEND DECISION OF SHIPPING COMPANY UNALTERED (From Our Own Reporter) GREYMOUTH. October 5. The Union Steam Ship Company’! decision to withdraw its large colliers from trading at Greymouth because of the lack of water on the Grey river bar has not yet been relaxed in spite of an improved depth on the bar. Th« shipping position, as it affects the company, will be reviewed tomorrow. Shipping authorities are anxious to avoid having colliers tied up at Greymouth for long intervals, as was the case last month when a laden ship was delayed three weeks before she could depart. Vessels will continue to trade at Westport. The Blackball and Roa mines in the Grey district have been idle for the last two days because there are no South Island orders for their coal and no shipping to take it to the North Island. They will, however, resume work on Monday. In the Buller district, the Stockton open-cast mine, producing up to 50® tons of coal a day, was closed on Monday and will not be worked again for at least another week. Irregular shipping has resulted in an accumulation of stocks, as the coal is not particularly popular in the South Island. The 46 employees have been given other work. The Kaimiro, which loaded coal for Wellington at Westport on Fridav, sailed in the evening with a restrict’d load. She carried 2000 tons—looo tons short of her full capacity. The restrictions were necessary because of the state of the bar on which there was approximately 19 feet 6 inches of water at high tide.