THE COAL FAMINE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11797, 28 July 1900, Page 7

THE COAL FAMINE.

THE RAILWAY DEPARTMENT

BLAMED.

MR WARD IN DEFENCE,

Mr Collins, the member for Christchurchy has been interesting himself in the matter of the scarcity of coal in phristchureh,. and in the1 House this afternoon he/asked the Government, if coal' is a.t such famine prices as stated, why do they refuse to find trucks and allow overtime work for the discharge of the steam collier Whangape at Lyttelton.? ■ Mr Collins added that there was no doubt aboufe the famine prices for coal, and under the oircumstanees it was deplorable that the Government would not supply trucks. He hoped the Minister would give sonje assurance that the supply of coal. would not be blocked owing to the unwillingness or inability of the department to deal with the .matter. Mr Ward made a lengthy reply. ••• He said the Government were neither unwilling nor unable to "supply trucks, and they were fullyaware of the position in Ohristchurch. Indeed muclv more so than the hon. gentleman. The position, was this: Some 5000 tons o£ Newcastle coal was at present being dis-, charged in Lyttelton, and on Monday next 1000 tons of steam coal and 300 tons of.household coal were due to arrive in the Poherua. If the wishes of the hon. gentleman were given effect to it would mean a block to the whole of the railway trucks in Christchurcb. for three days or more. The real position was that with 5000 or 6000 tons of coal in Lyttelton, the "department -was expected to provide 1000 trucks within a day or two, and ■ keep these trucks with the, coal at Christ* church free of storage to enable the dealers to get the coal dischai-ged. He had made inquiries in Christchurch as to the supply o£ coal available, and found thp position, yesterday was that there were 866 tons of household! coal and 37 tons of steam coal in Christchurch,,; with 5000 tons in Lyttelton about to be discharged. He had also made inquiries as to whether coal could be supplied from' Kaitangata and the mines near Dunedin to meet the requirements of the people in Christchurch i£ they could not get oversea coal. It was entirely a question of rate. If the coal proprietors were prepared to give the consumers the full benefit of any concession made on. the railway it could be uone, but the Government were not going to reduce the rates merely for the coalowners of the south to make further profit put of the necessities ofi the people of Christchurch, who were desirous of obtaining the coal. He complained! that Mr Collins had not come to him and! made representations on behalf of the people.; If he had come to him he could have' furf:: nished him with the information, but if the shipowners expected the department were going to keep 100 trucks, and in some cases 1000 trucks, available solely to'meet the'immediate pressure they were mistaken? It was neither possible nor desirable, neither would it be done in any other part of the world. It would be just as reasonable to blame the coal proprietors at Newcastle for their inability to load 5000 or 6000 tons moro than the shoots would carry into the steamers in a- day. Captain Russell sugested that Mr Ward,' instead of answering the question, was making a second-reading speech. Mr Ward replied that he was not prepared to allow these charges to be made on the floor of the House without 'Ms giving a full reply.

Mr Collins said he had got bis informationfroni an avjthoritative source, which , he was quite prepared to inform the Minister of.He could not bave a better or higher authority than he had. He simply wanted to point out the position. There was a coal famine in, Christchurch and there was a vessel lying in the port with coal, but because the Government would hot supply trucks, and would not allow, overtime, the famine was to continue. The* Minister had made a lengthy reply, but he did not understand what the .hen. gentleman^ really meant was the excuse. '■';'/.'.''./ . "' Mr Ward: I expect your authipritjr is one of the shipowners, who has been waving' Qt telegram about the lobbies of the House.