QUALITY AND COST

Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 36, 10 August 1918, Page 5

QUALITY AND COST

REPORT OF BOARD OF TRADE

PRICE OP LIGNITE SLACK TO BE

REDUCED,

The Hon. W. D. S.. Mac Donald, Minister of Mines and, Acting-President of the Board of Trade, was interviewed this morning" regarding local complaints as to the quality of coal and the price ruling in Wellington City. He stated that action had not previously been taken by the board in, respect to the matter because no complaints in regard .to price had been received. The whole of the complaints had centred round the question of shortage o£ supply. As the public were no doubt well aware, the Munitions and Supplies Department was attending to the matter, of arranging-sup-plies and controlling distribution." Owing to reasons that had already been made, public by the Hon. Arthur Myers, there has been an undoubted coal shortage this; winter, and the utmost difficulty had been experienced in keeping essential industries going > without inflicting undue hardships on the general public. Following recent complaints" in respect to prices charged and quality, of supplies, the Minister had referred the matter to the Board of Trade, and its report wa* as follows:— I ■

THE GENERAL SHORTAGE.

"About two years ago, to obviate the necessity of increasing the price-of coal in "Wellington, the practice of screening coal in Wellington itself was' discontinued, the public being supplied with coal screened at the mines before shipment. New Zealand coals ase of a friable nature, and consequently suffer ■in transit. . ' / "Very little small steam or unscreened coal from the West Coast mines isjbeing resold in Wellington for household purposes owing to the fact that-this class of coal finds a ready sale for industrial reqJ&'Sßients. For instance, thousands of tons could be placed in Wellington at the present time with the Wellington Gas Company, the City Corporation Power Station, and the Harbour Board. The wholesale merchants cannot get enough of it, and what is coming into the city has only been released by the Wellington Cqal Trade < Committee in order that the work of distribution by dealers owing to lack of other supplies should not be entirely stopped and the public have to go without coal alto--gether. The shortage that'has existed has been met to a certain extent by the use of lignite slack that in former years was unsaleable^ Even lignite-slack is now being used for steam raising purposes by ireeaing companies, dairy companies, and other industrial users, and when mixed with West Coast steam-coal is giving good results. .

COSTS TO DEALERS,

"With regard to the price charged 'for lignite slack, the main source of-supply of which is the Waikato district, the Board of Trade finds that the wholesale" price of this-coal in Wellington is 20s 6d per ton; made up as follows.: —5s per ton on trucks, Waikato; 15s 6d per ton railage; total; 80s 6d. There is a. serious loss in weight in transit amounting on the average to the equivalent of Is 6d per ton. On arrival in Wellington this coal has to be shovelled out of the railway trucks and carted by the dealers to their own yards, involving considerable labour expense, amounting to 5s per ton. The whole of this expense is not incurred on coal received ex ship, because this is placed by the discharging vessel straight on. to the carts of the dealers. Additional expense incurred in the yards by the dealers amounts to - 3s per ton, and ■delivery charges to the householder amount to an average of 6s 6d per ton. It will be seen from these'figures that the cost to the retail dealer amounts approximately to £1 16s per ton.

LIGNITE SLACK 2s CWT,

"The board finds that the Wellington dealers in the ' majority of cases havo been charring the same rate for lignite slack as they have been for West Coast small steam or unscreened coal, the dealers classing as 'slack coal' all coal received by them other than mine screened. The board, however, has srranged with the Wellington Coal Dealers' Association to charge a separate rate for Waikato slack coal, and this will in future be supplied at'2s per cwt. , The board has gone into the question of the profit the coal dealer is making out of the coal, and is satisfied that undue profits have not been made iirthe past. WHh regard to the West Coast ■ Coal, the present prices also appear to the board, to be reasonable, and whilst present conditions remain will not be increased. • ■ ''■'■■-. .' •

ADVICE TO HOUSEHOLDERS.

To get the best results out of the coal that is available for household purposes in Wellington, the public should use a mixture of lignite coals and West Coast coal. If they desire screened West Coast coal, they should also as"k to be supplied with an equaj' quantity of lignite slack, as these two classes of coal mix well' together and give satisfactory results. If, on the other hand, the public desire to use screened lignite coals, these should be mixed. with/West Coast slack.

"Figures that have been recently supplied by the Minister o£ Mines and Munitions show that there is a real shortage of coal in New Zealand, and it is only by the utmost care, arid undivided attention of the local Coal Committee that the essential industries have been kept running, and tho available supplies for household ' purposes; been rationed out in such a manner as to prevent any undue advantage being given to a particular class of consumer. An honest endeavour has been made in so rationing the public to prevent.hardship on the poorer.classes by,, restricting the wealthier classes from securing most of the supplies. ' '. ■ ■ "Another factor of importance that must be remembered .-is that the whole of the nevisened-Weet. Coast coal coining into 'WeUingtoruu the property of the N«,w.'Zsa^

land Railways, but the railway authorities, on representations made to them by_t-he. Minister, of Munitions, have released a quantity of this coal for household purposes, and the quantity so • released has been distributed thiongh the Coal Committee."