MORE COAL IS BEING MINED IN GREY AREA

Greymouth Evening Star, 31 March 1950, Page 4

MORE COAL IS BEING MINED IN GREY AREA

More coal has been mined in the Grey district in the first quarter of this year than in the corresponding quarter of 1949 and, in spite of the transport difficulties, more has been shipped and railed to other parts of the Dominion. There have been complaints of irregular shipments, but the facts are that just as much coal has been handled on the Greymouth wharf in the past three months as in the first quarter of last year, when no serious accumulation of stocks at the mines occurred.

For the three months ended today, coal shipments from Greymouth have totalled 50,750 tons (including consignments and bunkers) and in the corresponding period of last year the total v;as 51,000 tons. Bigger Quantity Railed Rail consignments to the east coast for the first three months of this year have totalled 27,200 tons, as compared with 21,100 tons in the corresponding period last year, or an increase of 6100 tons. It is estimated that close on 10,000 tons is held at the various district mines today, as all bins are still near capacity. At this time last year there was no such accumulation, and it is therefore estimated that coal production for the first quarter of the year is up by something like 15,000 tons on the 1949 figures. There has been little time lost at the mines this year and in all cases production has been steady, without any spectacular fluctuations from week-to-week. While there is no indication of the market being glutted there haye been some indications that stocks in other parts of New Zealand are better than has been the case for some years. As an example, the Wanganui gasworks manager told the City Council a few days ago that stocks of coal at the Wanganui gasworks were now so good that a continuation of supply for retorts was expected, even if the usual autumn shoaling of the river bar at Castlecliff took place again this year. Winter Demand Awaited Similarly, stocks in the Christchurch coal merchants’ yards and in East Coast gasworks are reported to be well up but, of course, generally mild weather has been experienced to date and the accelerated winter demand for coal has not yet set in. Transport difficulties, principally the shortage of flat wagons, have prevented stocks at the Grey district mines from being reduced to a safer margin. Most of the mines are still being supplied with wagons on a day-to-day basis and the “draw-off” from the bins is just about balancing current production. No time has been lost this week, however, and there is, at the moment, no crisis as occurred at the end of last week.