COAL SUPPLIES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23381, 24 June 1939, Page 19

COAL SUPPLIES

DEALEES CONCERNED

IMPORTATIONS URGED GOVERNMENT'S DETERMINATION [DY TELEGRAPH —TRESS ASSOCIATION'] WELLINGTON. Friday The low reserve supplies of coal held by dealers in tbe Wellington district was pointed out to the .Minister of Mines, the Hon. 1\ C. Webb, by n deputation which waited upon him. Ihe granting of authority to import more Australian coal was advocated by the deputation, which expressed the opinion that the demand for. coal could not be met unless steps were taken to increase supplies. Mr. \\ ebb said he had asked organisations representing the companies and the miners to consider without delay what they can do to meet the situation. The Government was determined that industries would he supplied with coal and home lires kept burning.

Mr. Webb said lie had received n deputation representing 70 odd coal dealers in the Wellington district. Tin ?se dealers had pointed out that their coal supplies were just about half what they were this tune last year, and that so far no real winter weather had been experienced. Some of them had only two days' supply in hand. Reserve for Emergency

Members of the deputation strongly recommended letting in more Australian coal to enable them to have a little in reserve to meet any emergency that might arise. All were fully convinced that unless the supply of coal was increased the demand for it could not be met.

I ''ln my reply to the deputation," said .Mr. Webb, "I pointed out that one i»i the principal causes of the shortage ol household coal was the bad bar conditions in Greymouth. At present one ship is in Greymouth loaded with coal and cannot get out and another ship is outside and cannot get in. A good fresh in the Grey River would be very welcome at the moment to clear the channel." Conference Assurance Mr. Webb said that so far as the north was concerned, dealers complained that little coal was coining through Irom the Waikato, anil that all dealers were experiencing the same difficulty in obtaining coal from that quarter. '"I explained to the deputation,'' said the .Minister, "that 1 convened a conference of the Coal Owners' j Federation and the United .Mine Workers early in the year and asked lor their co-operation in supplying the coal that would be needed in view of the curtailment of overseas supplies. The conference assured me that sufficient coal would be forthcoming to meet New Zealand requirements. In addition to shipping difficulties from the south, an epidemic of influenza has gone through the mines and a large j number of miners has been obliged to lay up for a considerable time."