POSITION BETTER

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVI, Issue 37, 12 August 1943, Page 6

POSITION BETTER

MINISTER'S STATEMENT

A conference called yesterday afternoon by the Minister of Mines (Mr. Webb) to deal with the coal situation in Wellington spent several hours devising the quickest and best means of shipping and distributing coal for gas and domestic use.

The conference was attended by the Minister, the Shipping Controller (Mr. Gilbert), the General Manager of Railways (Mr..Casey), Mr. R. E. Price and Mr. J. Roberts of the Waterfront Control Commission, the Minister of Manpower (Mr. McLagan) and representatives of the Mines and Army Departments.

The Minister stated today that the better weather had brought about a rapid improvement in the handling of coal. The discharging of coal from ships in port was proceeding at full speed, and arrangements had been made with the Railway Department and the waterside workers to work at night unloading the coal. With anything like favourable going it was expected that by tonight at least 700 or 800 tons of coal would have been discharged.

The men from the Army, who were assisting in fulfilling urgent orders at the State coal depot, were still at work, and were likely to remain there until their places could be filled by civilian workers. .

Extended hours were also being worked on the West Coast, continued the Minister. "Everything possible is being done with our limited shipping to get. the maximum amount of coal here at the earliest moment," he said. "We have no immediate trouble with the bars on the West Coast. Satisfactory arrangements have been made to work the coal ships in the rain, the waterside workers being anxious to do their utmost to see that the coal gets to the firesides."