COAL SHORT

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 32, 7 August 1923, Page 8

COAL SHORT

BUT COMING TO HAND.

Household coal is short in Wellington, and. folk who have had orders placed for a week or two or three past need no reminding of that fact, but inquiries made by a "Post" reporter this morning indicate that back orders will be caught up within a week or ten days. Four hundred tons, or so arrived by the Ngakuta for the State Coal Depot yesterday, and is being rushed out today by the regular lorries and carts of the service, and also by extra carts and drays hired by fie depot manager, that back orders may be filled as quickly as possible; Another shipment should reach Wellington by the Kakapo within a week or so, and should enable all orders at present on the books to be filled.

The Westport Company's branch officers state that the pinch is being felt by them, and for a month or two they "have been just scratching along," but there is no need for people to get panicky and rush in orders when their bins are not yet half empty, • nor, on the other hand, is it wise for consumers to run right out, and then ring up furiously and insist that a couple of bags shall be sent round that afternoon, for it may not be possible to send those bags. The wiser plan is to look ahead a week or so. All said and done, this winter's shortage was not more pronounced than that of average winters as far as the cbmpany was concerned.

Retail dealers had the same tale to tell, some of them stating that they were three or four weeks behind in their orders.

The main reasons for the present pinch appear to be the stoppage of supplies from Newcastle and the effect of influenza among the moners on the Coast, both operating at the very time when household coal is most in demand. Wellington, said one dealer, did not ordinasily use a great «amount of New castle coal, but Christchurch did, and Christchurch, finding its regular supplies cut short, called on the West Coast to keep it going, and indirectly bit into Wellington supplies. All were agreed that the position was fairly tight, but was in no way so serious as during the bad winter when the rationing scheme was decided upon. Steam c-r! users do not appear to be feeling the pinch, nor, say the companies supplying steam coal, will the position as to that class of coal be acute unless unforeseen complications arise.