SHORTAGE OF COAL

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 115, 10 February 1944, Page 4

SHORTAGE OF COAL

Call On Government For Action A call on the Government to take im-. mediate steps to inquire into the position of the country’s coal supply was made at a meeting of the council of the AVellington Chamber of Commerce by the president, Mr. AV. H. Kindle. "It is realized there are factors affecting the situation over which the Government has no control, such as bar conditions at the West Coast harbours, slips on the railways, etc., but if there are any real grievances that need inquiry they must be inquired into,” said Mr. Hindle. People without the means of heating their homes and cooking their food would find no comfort in the fact that the miners had many and great grievances and that stop-work meetings and go-slow tactics were considered necessary, with reduced output of coal as a result. It was evident that the situation on the coalfields would not improve till these grievances, real or imaginary, were investigated. If they were proved to be justifiable, the necessary action should be taken promptly to resolve them. 'lf they were deemed frivolous, the miners should be told plainly that the public were exasperated at being unable to obtain fuel. “The present state of affairs is dislocating the whole country and cannot be allowed to continue,” he added. “Winter is approaching and the prospects', both civilian and commercial, look dismal. The first step would appear to be to settle the causes of these annoying and troublesome stop-wbrk meetings, go-slow tactics, take .strong measures about absenteeism' and then get on with the main job of producing coal."