Government To Re-open Coal Talks With Japan

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28963, 3 August 1959, Page 10

Government To Re-open Coal Talks With Japan

(New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, August 2. The Minister of Mines (Mr Hackett) said in Auckland today that there was a possibility of getting Japanese ships of the right size into Greymouth harbour to load Paparoa coal. By “right size,” he said, he meant ships of sufficient length to make coal shipments economic and of shallow-enough draught to negotiate the bar at the mouth of the Grey river. Mr Hackett said the Ministry of Works investigations had shown that the shipping, basin in the river could be widened to allow longer ships to turn around. Besides loading with coal, it was also possible that such ships could top-off with timber or tallow.

He said the Government hoped to be in a position this week to make a new offer to Japanese interests concerned.

‘‘lt is apparent that the cost of creating a coal dump at Lyttelton may put the whole thing out of proportion,” said Mr Hackett. ‘‘The two or three ships which have already been to Greymouth have been both uneconomic and unsuitable as far as the Japanese are concerned.

‘‘Prices wanted in the past have shown it is uneconomic for the Japanese to take coal out of Greymouth or for New Zealand to ship it from Lyttelton. ‘‘However, we are still considering the possibility of Lyttelton.”

Mr D. T. Mackinlay, of Wais and Mackinlay, of Auckland, the Japanese interests’ agents in New Zealand, said on Saturday he thought they might be pre-

pared to offer more for West Coast coal than they had done before.

Mr Mackinlay said he thought it possible that a slightly cheaper freight rate than the 45s a ton quoted might be obtained, allowing New Zealand’s price to increase correspondingly without affecting the overall cost to the Japanese. New Zealand had to fix a minimum price, however, and bargaining could begin from there. The next move definitely had to come from the Government.