STILL LESS GAS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17449, 20 April 1920, Page 4

STILL LESS GAS.

ONLY ONE-THIRD PRESSURE. COAL SHORTAGE CONTINUES. SERIOUS POSSIBILITIES. Not receiving any of the coal brought by the Rak.inoa from Newcastle for the Railway Department, ae promised by the Ministry for Munitions, the Auckland tias! Company was compelled to reduce the i pressure to about one-third of the normal i at 1 p.m. yesterday, and this low pres- | sure was continued throughout the rest of the day and evening. As usual, the ! sunnly of gas varied according to lewl. ! Some houses on the higher levels obtained ' a fair force of gas occasionally, this, no , doubt, being when other houses in the I neighbourhood had -iven up gaslight in ' despair. In the low-lying levels the re- ! duction was most felt, as is always the j case, gas being lighter than air. [ To-day a normal supply of ga3 will bo | provided in the morning, but the com- I pany is unable to eay if this pressure can be provided up till 1 p.m. Certainly it will not be continued after that hour. Yesterday, as on Saturday, the Gas Company was prepared to Like delivery I of some of the Rukanoa's coal from the j Railway Department on the terms laid ! down by the Ministry of Munitions when I it agreed to this purchase, but the rail- 1 way authorities were still without the necessary instructions. Even if this ! supply had been available, the company, | owing to the slow method of delivery in- j sisted upon, would hav e been unable to provide a normal pressure of gas. The Kaitangata, which had been ex- j peeled on Wednesday with a cargo of coal ; from Wrstport for the Gas Company, is not due to arrive until Thursday afternoon at the earliest. Mr- James Lowe, manager of the company, stated yesterday that if Friday is a wet day the position will not be immediately improved, because the proofs of gas making is delayed when the coal is wet. Apart from this possibility, he J states that if the first coal the company | receives is not available until Friday, it is quit likely that low pressure will con- j tinue over the 24 hours of some, of the intervening days, and in this case the possibilities of the cooking by gas heat) will be very doubtful. The small supply j of coal the company is now working on ! will be exhausted before Friday. It is pointed out that the Government not only controls the distribution of coal. but also the available shipping. The Gas Company authorities contend that in view of their vsry meagre supply of coal the Rftkanoa should have been allocated to bring a cargo for their wants, instead ol for railway purposes. inconvenience was caused restaurant and tearoom proprietors yesterday through the lowering of the gas pressure. A few establishments are. in the fortunate position of having coalstoves, but in the majority all the cooking is done by gas, and bitter complaint was mado by the proprietors. "We have had the ereateet difficulty in cooking any food at all," said one. "We have had to keep the lieht -" ; nsr under the teaurns and soup-urns all the afternoon. The chef had to come down early after lunch, and, even ' so, has had great \ trouble in getting the dinner. The fish, for instance, had to be put on to boil at three o'clock in the afternoon, and the same with the meat and vegetables. Some pies were put in the oven half anhour aijo. and they haven't even begun to brown yet. I don't know how long we shall be expected to put up with this kind of thing, but it is causing restaurant proprietors and their workers most serious inconvenience and annoyance." Many householders in the more distant suburbs were left absolutely without any gas for a considerable, time last evening. Oil lamps, candles, and spirit-lamps were brought into service, but th» inconvenience was far from removed by these ex pedients. . % i " '