COAL SUPPLIES

Greymouth Evening Star, 15 December 1944, Page 3

COAL SUPPLIES

MINISTER’S REVIEW. WELLINGTON, December 14., The Minister of Mines (Mr. Webb) made a statement to the House of Representatives to-day on the coal position. He said the Mines Department estimated that coal output lor the Dominion during 1944 would be at least 20,000- tons higher than last year, thus setting a new record for New Zealand. Total production in 1943 was 2,737,868 tons, and although production'this year had lagged badly in the early part of the year, it had subsequently accelerated rapidly. There were now reasons to believe that the peak of the country’s coal trouble had passed, and that the position would be much improved in the coming year, but until reasonable stocks of bituminous coal could be built up in the North Island there would always be concern because oi' the uncertainty of conditions at the river" ports oi Westport and Greymouth. , , Open-cast mining had contributed 120,000 tons to the year’s total, although adverse weather had reduced the output from these mines. The output was now 1500 tons a day, and three more open-cast mines would be opened before Christinas. It was expected that the output would rise to 2000 tons daily. The Mines Department was confident that there would be sufficient coal available during the. holiday period for gasworks and industrial purposes, and the Railways Department had 38,200 tons in stock, and should be able to obtain a further 12,000 tons from current output, plus a contribution from open-cast mining.