Tasman Mill May Use Oil As Fuel

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29800, 17 April 1962, Page 9

Tasman Mill May Use Oil As Fuel

(New Zealand Press Atsociation)

AUCKLAND, April 16. The Tasman Pulp and Paper Company, Ltd., may convert to oil fuel because of recent increases in railway freight charges on coal. This would mean the potential Joss of sales of 60,000 tons a year to coal producers. As a first step towards the change the company has had its new £1,000.000 boiler, now being built, slightly altered so that it can burn oil as well as coal. The change was made because of the 4s 6d a ton rail freight increase. The company’s managing director (Mr D. W. Timmis) said today that, concurrent with the increase in the price of coal, oil prices had been reduced. "We must seriously consider reverting bo oil for all our burners," Jie’-gaid. ... _■ .; Mr C. M. Richwhite, head of David Lloyd, Ltd., sole distributors for Glen Afton Collieries, Ltd., said that a letter of protest had been sent on April 4 to the Minister of Railways (Mr McAlpine. No reply or acknowledgement had been received. Mr Richwhite said the

letter pointed out that colliery owners should have been invited to make submissions which they believed could have proved to the department that its action “was contrary to the national interest, disastrous to the already threatened coal industry in the Waikato and not in the best interests of the New Zealand railways.” A railage-paid zone system for Huntly coals had been rendered inoperative by the new freight schedule. This had meant substantial increases in the lower provinces. In Gisborne, the price is up 18s 3d a ton. in Wellington 15s 3d a ton and in the Bay of Plenty 9s, the letter said. Lenten Services. — Special Lenten services were held in the Linwood Methodist Church On Sunday. The sermons were preached by Mr J. Rolston and the Rev. A. P. Dorrian. At the evening service the church choir sang Stainer's “Crucifixion." The tenor was Cecil Sharp and the bass Peter Law. The conduotor was Mr G. Thorpe, the organist Mrs S. Hodgson, and Mr G. Maddams played the violin.