“Parochial” Appeal For Use Of Dobson Coal

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31657, 18 April 1968, Page 10

“Parochial” Appeal For Use Of Dobson Coal

The appeal by the Labour member of Parliament for Westland (Mr P. Blanchfield) to Canterbury people to use more Dobson coal must be provoked solely by the parochial interests of his electorate, the publicity officer of the Christchurch Clean Air Society (Mr P. V. Neary) said yesterday. The society claimed that air pollution in Christchurch, which affected 250,000 people and cost householders up to s4m a year, was a bigger and more important problem, Mr Neary said. Authoritative sources in November, 1963, had said: “If coal is to compete successfully with fuel oil, a mine should be shut down if unprofitable, and if political or social issues require its continued operation, it should be financed by some special fund.

“We question whether appealing to the generosity of Christchurch to carry the whole brunt of the West Coast economic problem by suffering more air pollution is really fair,” Mr Neary said. “During the 1930 s the Sunlight League’s appeal for action to reduce air pollution was ignored, yet there could have been developed in Christchurch an expanding gas and coke industry to meet the special needs for a pro-

gramme to reduce air pollution.

“This industry could have been using steady supplies of Dobson coal today and for years hence. Instead, there is now a surplus of coke because the market for smokeless coke has not been fully developed. “Bringing Dobson coal on the market will probably reduce the sale of coke and hasten the day when only oil will be used to produce gas. “Surely consumer choice, guided by the special pollution problems outlined in the Christchurch Regional Planning Authority’s air pollution report, should be the key factor in determining fuel supplies," said Mr Neary.