GAS SHORTAGE

Evening Star, Issue 25226, 13 July 1944, Page 4

GAS SHORTAGE

GAP IN COAL DELIVERIES LACK OF RAILWAY TRUCKS A shortage ot railway trucks, and not a slackening of the productive output from the West Coast mines, is stated to be responsible for the serious depletion of the stocks at the Dunedin Gasworks. There is no intention at present of again introducing the system of gas rationing that caused serious inconvenience to industrial and domestic consumers during a period between March and April. However, the fact that there is less than a week's supply of New Zealand coal at the gasworks is causing the corporation authorities considerable concern. The manager of the Westport Coal Company Ltd (Mr J. S. Jack) stated to-day that his company, which supplies the gasworks at Dunedin, Invercargill, Ashburton, and Christchurch, had been asked to do everything possible to assure continuous supplies to these four main plants in the South Island. He said that there was a bottleneck on the railway system between the West Const and Dunedin, and this, together with the shortage of trucks, was responsible for the interruption in the supplies, which had been guaranteed by the Government to the gasworks and also to tho Railway Department. Ho added that at Westport there were 1,000 tons at present available in bins, but the difficulty had arisen of not enough trucks being on the lines to transport tho coal south.

Commenting on the shortage, Cr L. M. Wright (chairman of the City Council's Gas Committee) said that the position was undoubtedly serious, and he hoped that consumers would economise in the use of gas until supplies that might reach Dunedin in the next few days resulted in an increase in the stocks at the gasworks.