MR SHAND DEFENDS COAL

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31993, 21 May 1969, Page 16

MR SHAND DEFENDS COAL

Complaints of air pollution in Christchurch seemed to have increased in spite of a much reduced use of coal and the disappearance of Ngakawau briquettes from the market, the Minister of Mines (Mr Shand) said in Christchurch last evening. This appeared to support the findings of the Ombudsman in 1966 that it was doubtful whether high-sulphur coal, briquettes or any coal increased air pollution in Christchurch. Recent studies overseas had indicated that exhausts from vehicles were very guilty, Mr Shand said. The use of coal in the Christchurch railways district had fallen from 68,000 tons in 1956 to 18,000 tons in 1968 and would continue to fall until it was almost negligible.

The total production of State and private mines in the Grey and Buller areas of coal with sulphur content of more than 4 per cent and supplying mainly Christchurch had fallen from 180,000 tons a year during 1945-49 to 40,00 tons last year. Production in the Reefton mines had dropped from its 1952 peak of 132,000 tons to 94,000 tons last year. This trend was likely to continue. Private wholesalers were no longer prepared to finance co-operative mining parties into area of highsulphur coal. Sales of coal from the Christchurch State Coal i Depot, serving an area between the Waitaki River and Blenheim, had fallen 16 per . cent in the last six years : and amounted to 134,151 tons i last year, of which domestic I users bought 34,000 tons. ; Mr Shand said that if , Christchurch local authorities banned coal of more than 0.2 per cent sulphur content, all coals now supplied except some from Ohai, in Southland, would be excluded. This would threaten the existence of private and State

mines on the West Coast, which had already suffered severely from the effects of the slackening demand. “I am responsible to those in the mining industry and

I would like those who blame coal for increasing air pollution in Christchurch to try to see the causes of air pollution in better perspective,” he said.

“If air pollution in Christchurch were in fact largely due to the use of coal in general or high-sulphur coal in particular then it would be falling sharply.” People everywhere and not only in Christchurch were rightly concerned about air pollution. “I would be the last to deny their right to combat it, but I am concerned about the extent of blame attached to coal.” Mr Shand said the problems of Christchurch were continuously studied by the air pollution committee of the Board of Health. “The Mines Department must and will co-operate in any plans necessary to avoid harmful air pollution, but when all the evidence points to a lessening influence of coal in pollution we should not be faced with an unreasoning clamour to create unemployment in an industry which is already contracting rapidly,” he said.