COAST COAL

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29916, 1 September 1962, Page 12

COAST COAL

Assurance By Govt. (Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON. August 31. An assurance that the Government would give full consideration to the use of West Coast coal and to the advantages of the West Coast as a site for any projected metal-smelting industries was given in Parliament today by the Minister of Customs (Mr Shelton). He was replying on behalf of the Minister of Industries and Commerce (Mr Marshall) to a question asked by Mr P Blanchfield (Opposition. Westland). Mr Blanchfield asked that, as enterprises to develop nickel deposits and ironsands were under way, the Minister •hould consider drawing the attention of promoters to the great part coal would play in the processing of the ores and sands. He also asked the Minister to consider the advantages of transporting the ores and sands “to the ample blocks of cheap land near the West Coast rather than transporting coal to where the minerals are.” Mr E. P. Aderman (Government, New Plymouth): Has the Minister or the promoters of these enterprises considered the advantages of natural gas? Mr Shelton: It would be for the promoters of the industry to decide which was best for its requirements. Limited Prospects There were limited prospects for New Zealand to sell dairy products in Indonesia because of import and exchange controls, the Minister of Agriculture (Mr Talboys) said. The Dairy Board had agents in Indonesia, he said, and the trade commissioner in Singapore also made visits to* that country. Mr Taiboys was replying to Mr J. B. Gordon (Government. Clutia) for the Minister of Industries and Commerce (Mr Marshall). He said the department did not know whether Dutch dairy produce, either under Dutch or Belgian names, was still being imported by Indonesia, but this would be investigated Not Illegal Alleged demands of life insurance companies for additional securities in life or fire and accident policies on rural lending did not appear to infringe the Trade Practices Act. said Mr Marshall Act Repealed The power given the Government to conduct a postal clearing system, under which the Post Offce would pay depositors’ bills and deduct the amounts from their deposits is repealed in the Post Office Amendment Bill, introduced in the House today by the Poetmaster-General (Mr Kinsella). Workshop Staff New Zealand may recruit some British railwaymen to fill gaps in railway workshop staffing Migration officers in Londpn had been asked to look into the matter, said the Minister of Railways (Mr McAlpine) Replying to a question. Mr h(cAlpine said that although a reported 20000 men were to be laid off by British Railways in the next five years most were not workshop staff There were a number of vacancies for skilled men in New Zealand workshops Qualified men in Britain would be considered Lamb For U.S. Judgment of the quantities of lamb which can be absorbed on the North American Market must be left to the Meat Export Developmen’ Company, said Mr Taiboys He was replying to a question concerning a Wanganui mea firm that the Development Comnany’s “restrictive" policy last season prevented the processing of 150 000 lambs for the North American market Mr Taiboys said New Zealand lamb sales to North America were made in quantities which took into account local trends and ’he possible long-term e»‘ab ,! <h«"ent of a re'O'lar market there “The Development Company had been entros’ed to the work by the Meat Board