SHORTAGE OF COAL

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXV, Issue 237, 5 September 1945, Page 5

SHORTAGE OF COAL

ACUTE AUCKLAND POSITION 883 (Press Assn.) AUCKLAND, Sept. 4. Many undertakings in - Auckland which depend on coal are in a precarious position at present and are operating on a margin which is not considered safe for undertakings which have to serve the public on a large scale. Though Government statements this year have placed an optimistic complexion on the future of the coal supply, the position seems to have deteriorated greatly. Transport services such as the railways and Devonport Steam Ferry Company have just enough for them to maintain their operations. Inquiries revealed that the railway depots in the area north of Taihape each had about a third of a week's supply of coal. *'■'-. Ministerial statements in the past indicated that open-cast mining would do a great deal to solve the coal difficulties, but it is understood that only a small percentage of the coal received by the railways in Auckland is from the open-cast operations. Coal coming from the Omana and the Kiwitea has given the Auckland Gas Company about 15 days' supply, but on Monday night a position was reached where for several hours there was no coa'l in the horizontal retort house at the gasworks.

The Liverpool and Strongman State miners were idle yesterday owing to a dispute over holiday pay on VP-Day, and at a meeting last evening the miners decided to await a readjustment of the rate in accordance with--, the terms of then- local agreement be-"* fore resuming.