SHORTAGE OF TRUCKS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17111, 17 March 1919, Page 6

SHORTAGE OF TRUCKS.

COAL MINW HANDICAPPED. SUPPLIES TO x CONSUMES.* STOCK DANGEROUSLY, LOW. The shortage of railway ,k.uc>, it {» understood, continues, with the result thai; sonic of (he Waikato coalmining compares are experiencing difficulty in disposing of. their output. It is stated thai since November last the output from these mine* has been much below normal, mid this is said, to bo due to the large number of miners who have left to undertake- other work, finding that they cannot get steady-work, at the mines, owing to the delay caused by the truck shortage. '. , > > Some of the mines have millions of tons Of coal in sight, so that it iB evident that there should be no shortage of coal for industries and public utilities, but is said to be actually happening, freezing works, factories and other users of coal in large quantities being reduced- to dangerously low reserves. This matte* was referred to a. railway official during the week-end, and he said that, so far as he knew, the supply of trucks during .the past few. weeks had been' fairly 'good. He mentioned that the coal companies could get over any temporary' difficulty of the kind by providing storage bins,, into which the coal could be dumped and later removed when a full supply of trucks 'could bo brought forward.! He stated that two large colliers had arrived with coal for the Department, and tho handling 'of this had, perhaps, temporarily diverted a number of trucks which would Othertfiao have gone to the mines earlier.