N.Z. SUPPLY SUPPLY

Grey River Argus, 29 April 1942, Page 5

N.Z. SUPPLY SUPPLY

LESS FOR DOMESTIC USE ;N.I. Consumption Jlp ; , [per : Presb/Association.] , ■ -?. : . 'WELLINGTON, April 28. Hon; P. C. Webb,: to-dpy referring: to the coal situation imtn e Dominion,said:“There have ’ been very. he.avyiriqteases.- in' the industrial andl r -• Wa>'c6nsumptlbh of. coal- m the Noxgj Island, with the. result ' that some ctirlaiimeht of the supplies for dom estic use has ,been unavoidable. • ims< expansion iri, carisumpnori 'has. opyri. brought. about bv the -. extension thfel.war jin . thel Pacific,- but (it is -rifit possible* (to ; give ; any details - of -this at the present jui’cture. -1 want trie, pdbiic to know thfet, last (year, the . production of ■ cdal ? in; this epuritty. amounted' to 2(639,507 toils, a record for’; the Dominion; ;and also t|iat, for the ’first three monthsof . this year,there has been'an-increase in output' pf 33, 000. tons or s:per;'-cent.;' more than';, for the 1 siiriie period last year. Itds.nbw only right tp.point out, too; that the output, per man employed underground iri 1941 was 726 tdris or 56 (tons higher than in the previous- ■ yeftri .■' This/figure/ only .(has ~beeir' ex(price; in tl|e; history ?. bf the ■ Dominion, riarriely,( in 1916,■ when 752 ;tons ( a .man was produced., , ; .'/“A number of the,' p_eople are beedriflrig Concerned? abbut'.'.the - , prpspects " for the winter • months. I do mot- think that there .is? lariv need ■ ?,for.alotm 1 . Nur Is there, .-any. real ;.rife'ed' v t£'is? tfue .that - we' would like to see a big-improvement in our stock position in some places, but, unfortunately, the rising tide of consumption has precluded much progress in this direction.l am pleased to b'e able to. announce, however, that- In order to assist with the situation, the coal miners have agreed to work on one Saturday in each fortnight from : Ma v ..to September inclusive, and air so to work on May Day and on the ; King’s Birthday, the latter two days being agreement holidays. As a re-, 'suit -the Mining Controller advises, 'he will be able to release supplies of kitchen coak from the Waikato (field, for household use.”