COAL SUPPLIES

Evening Star, Issue 17031, 30 April 1919, Page 6

COAL SUPPLIES

TE POSITION REVIEWED. [Special to the ' Star.'] CHRISTCHURCH, April 30. With the output from the West Coast mines below normal, particular attention has been concentrated during the past few months on the importation of Australian coal, and it is fairly safe to assume that had it not been for the obtaining of supplies from overseas the householders' coal bins would have seen little hard coal. Now that winter is approaching, the fact that Labor disputes are occurring in the Newcastle mines is therefore particularly disquieting. According to private advices received in Christehurch, interesting developments are expected, as the miners there resent any interference by the State with an agreement with the mine-owners. In normal years New Zealand is dependent on about 400.C00 tons of Australian hard coal. The Dominion output usually is, roughly, 2,000.000 tons, of which a quarter of" a million tons is brown coal and lignite. But, as stated, the New Zealand output- is now far from normal, and although the Australian importations in 1917 were only 291,000 tons, as compared with 518,000 tons in 1914, the 1919 imports so far have been unusually heavy. In the event of an Australian strike it might still be possible -to import coal, provided stocks there were large and the w-atersiders there, like Barkis, "were willin'." If the Australian supply is interfered with, it was gathered from inquiries amongst the trade that the householders' position during the winter months will bo the reverse of cheery. Regarding the diminished West Coast output, the reason is the departure from the mines of men whose presence there was due to the fact that they had either to work as miners or don khaki. .Since they have left this source of employment there does not appear to have been any improvement in the labor position worth mentioning. One mine representative stated that very few returned men who had been miners hud so far returned to thoir old ocupation. He was convinced that there would not be any improvement to any extent until all the men returned and there was a surplus on the general labor market. It was also gathered that -the coastal shipping available was quite sufficient, owing to tho causes stated, _to lift the coal; in fact, provision m this respect was often more than adequate. The local position as regards coat supplies shows little improvement.