COAL SUPPLIES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17726, 10 September 1919, Page 4

COAL SUPPLIES.

o RAILWAY RESTRICTIONS RELAXED. EXPRESS SERVICES INCREASED. TWO TRAINS EACH WEEK. IPeu U:;ited Pkess Association.) , T , T September G. -»lr .Urissey sii.ctl in tiio ilouse to-day thai, coinmcuanj next v.oc-k, Uio loiiowing ! arr.ing.menU v.cild take ehoct in iespcw I to express trains:— } Aiicu-Lind- Wellington ar.d Wollin-ton-Au:kb ; nd, two tiv.ms per week cue.'i way. -ucumu-Uotoru-j. and Roiorua-Auck-la::d tv.o tra.ns per week e&oii way. tt sllinjjtoH-Isew Plymouth and New Plv-mour..'l-V. c-iloigton, two trains per week eceh v/uy. Paimerstoii North-Napier and NapicrPalracrstou North, two trains ner week eac'i way. Christchurch-Duncdin, Punodin-Christ-cluirch, Duiiodin-Invcrcargill, and lrivcrearg .1-Dunodin, two trains \tcr week each way. and Wowlvillc-Lamb-ton, two t-ains wr wcok e.-.cli way. Goods train-, on branch lines, tT?o "trains per wook. Each of the foregoing trains , will bo rig-dly restricted to oik- enjrino load, I and for thnt rci-ou the pormit system must be continued in the meantime. In respect_to goods traffic relief is gradually being given by tbo nmninfr of special trains whero prict-oable, and in addition tlio enginos of tho express sen-ices referred to herein will be utilised for tho conveyance of goods traffic. # Sir Ward comnl?.ine-j thnt the "blot" had not be?n removed from the South Island railways, inasmuch as there was no through train from Christehureh to Tnvercarcfill. It v;as unfair to handicap tho South lel.Tnd as apa'nst the North, and it vras a handicaij lyhich the brnins of tV Railway Department ought to bo able to remove.

HEAVY IMPORTATIONS. IS THS RESTRICTED TRAIN SERVICE WARRANTED?. Local coal merchants aro watching the procedure of the Government jn connection with tho importation of coal to New Zealand with a great deal oi interest and not a imie perplexity. Tho "Waiiomo left Newcastle on Monday for Dunedin with a cargo of some 6WA) tons of coal, but whether t!ie Government will take tno whole of it for the use oi tho railways or al.ow local merchants who have ordered a considerable portion of the shipment to sccuro their allotment, is no; vet known. One merchant, who can speak with authority, says that if but 4000 tons of the shipment by tha Waitomo is taken by the Government, and including tho 5000 tons of American coal which have arrived by the Kumara and 4000 tons of Newcastle coal by tho Kauri, there will then bo a larger stock of coal at the Dunedin railway yards than for the past eight years. Incidentally it may be stated that the prico of the American coal, landed in Port Chalmers, was £7 per ton two months ago; whether it is higher or lower to-day cannot be ascertained. Assuming that other ports in New Zealand have also been receiving their quota of importations of coal—and it is known that 50,000 or 40,000 tons have been discharged in Auckland in the- last three or four weeks—it will bo seen that an enormous quantity of outsido coal is coming into the dominion. On top of this is the output from the New Zealand mines—very considerable addition to tho total supplies, notwithstanding tho present *' go-slow" policy. Tho question is, therefore, naturally asked why the railway services continue to bo run on the present restricted conditions. ! There is no doubt that tho restricted train services are having a most serious effect on tho trade and prosperity cf tho dominion; how serious is not even imagined by tho

great majority cf people. And in addition to tho tvado drawbacks there is the very high cost of tho imported American coal to be considered. There may be F.omethirJg in the knowledge of the Government which is rot known by tho outside public to cm;so the Government to act as it is doing at present in continuing to import largo Quantities of coal and still restrict the train services, but a little less secrecy regarding the motives which ire inducing it to follow its present system of control of the coal would be much welcomed by tho general public. Mr Ma.=sey has stated that he cannot say when the normal train services will be resumed if the "go-slow" r,olicy of tho miners is continued, but the coal merchant referred to above Eays he cannot see that there is anv reason, notwithstanding thj< "gc-s!ow" policy, to hold up the \rain services as is being done at present. He gave it as his opinion that it was a political move —that thcrf> were wheels within wheels—but when j asked by a reporter to further explain what ho meant contented himself by reasserting that ho did not see. under the present circumstances, what the Railway Department had to fear if it decided to run many moro tr.v'na throughout tho dominion. When questioned whether the recent advances in the price of coal were justified he replied "Undoubtedly." He ?nid that in one particular mine ho knew of tho company vjus losins money under the "go-slow' , policy, and had perforce to raise the prico of its coal.

GREEN ISLAND MIKES. A " stojj-worit " iaect:iij! ot the Grecu Island miners is to be hold tha morning. __ POSITION AT KAITANGATA. We are. intorniod that the c-Uoct of tlio '"go-slow" policy at KaiUugata is already niiniiest, the output last wcet being not more than two-thirds of normal, but at th;s rnino the output lrtsquently fluctuates, and tho present decrease may not be entire. 7 duo to tne above policy. It ia. however, stated to be beyouci quest.on that some ot tho miners are deliberately limiting iho output, and very tew are hewing a≤ much as tiiey aro able to do. * 'iho price of Kaitangati coal locally has been raised on three occasions within the last five weeks —2s 6d on August 1, 3 3 on August 18, a.nd 3s on September 8, a total oi 8s 6d per ton. The advance means that Kaitangata coal now costs £2 4s per ton delivered, at Kaitangata, and some 10s less per ton on trucks Stirling. Tlje price locaLy to miners is 12 3 6d per ton (plus delivery charge). THE TARAiU MINERS. A correspondent informs us that the posiat Taratu is more pronounced than at Kaitangata, as the "go-slow" movement is in full operation, with the result that tho output is now less than half that of normal times. GOOD SUPPLIES IN" CANTERBURY. li'ER Lxirsi) iV.Ess Association.) CI-IRISTCKURCH, September 9. It is stated that tho Railway Department now has good supplies of coal on hand at all the dspots in Canterbury, and that big quantities aro arriving constantly. At pre-

sect, it is stated, the amount of coal on hand here is probably slightly in excess of what it was in normal tLnes. "Feosi Ocu Uwn Coxbespoxdext.) — CimiSTCHURCH, September 9. The- amount of coal at present stacked at linwood depot is estimated at over 6000 tons, and at" every denot in Canterbury proportionate amounts" are in hand. Furthermore, about 12,000 toes of coal are cither at Lyttelton or ou tho way to tiie port, and !ong trains are bringing-'it up to Christchurch every day. 'lhe greatest amount of coal which has ever been stacked at Linwood is less than 10.COO tons, and the opinion is confidently expressed bv various railway officials that, thcro is a. likelihood that tho normal time-table will be resumed within a fortnight. The consumption of coal by tho trains loading at the Chr-'d:-chiireh deiiofc amounted to about 500 tons per week under tho normal timc-tnble, and during the period of the restrictions this has been i educed to about half that amount It is believed that equally good reserves of coal arc on hind in other centres. Before tho reduced time-tab!e carr.p into operation tne stock of coal in Christchurch was at one time as low as 150 ton?. Tho department is determined not to allow the position to become so acute- as this ajain. Statements nave been made that tho restrictions were not duo to the shortage of coal so much as to th-3 unsatisfactory "condition of tho roll- ••*£ stock, but tliis opinion is net shared by tno officials at the Ac'dir.gton Workshops'. According- to them, tho rollinir stock was rover in better condition, as "far r.? Canterbury is concerned, as .t was before the restricted time-table -was adopted. Great (lifTtculty has been oxperhnced '.t\ providin™ sufficient work for ell of tho tmp'lovecs .-» thr> workshops. At present much' work which is not regarded as urfrrnt is done, with tho so!<» idea of kerping tho men oo:n.-picd, and ihis state of affairs must continue until tho normal time-table- is resinned.

EFFECT OF "GO-SLOW" POLICY. LARGE REDUCTION IN OUTPUT. ALLEGED BREACH OF LAW. (Pea Cvitkd Phesh Association.) WKJXINGTON,. September 9. Mr Pryor, secretary to the Mine Owners' Association, in a letter to the Prime Minister (Mr iii-acy), states that the association will consider tho question of a further conference at a meeting to be held tomorrow. Ho adds that it 13 apparent that the "go-slow" policy adopted by the coal miners of the dominion was the result of rep■o.-fjiitiitions made by representatives of the Miri'.-rs , Federation. Tho effect of the "go-slow" policy was to cau£o a reduction of tne coil output of at least 7000 tons per I v.-c-ok. ! -Mr Pryor concludes: "I have also to j direct your attention to the fact that theso miners, vrlio aro drliberately restricting this output, are con:mi;;ia<r breaches of the strike clauses of tha Act, and it is suggested that immediate proceedings should be taker, agaimt them for so doing." REFERENCES IN PARLIA3DENT. 01'POR.TUNriT FOR DISCUSSION PROiIISED. (FhOU OCB O-.T.N CORBESPOKDENT.) WEI.LINGTON, September 9. References to tlic increases in the prices of coal by the northern companies on accou:it of the "go-slow" policy in the mines were made in the House to-day. Mr tt-empio drew tho attention of the 1 rime Minister to -what had been done, and asiitd whether an opportunity would b~ given to the Houso* to discuss the coai situation as soon as possible, seeing that the matter -.vas ons in which the whoie community was vitally interested. Tne employees and the employers had met to discuss tile dispute, but no settlement had been mad?, ana ho thought members of the House should concern themselves about getting a settlement of this trouble for the benefit of the community generally. Mr Massey said that members would have an opportunity of discussing the coal difficulty when the Coal Mines Bill was before the House. Referrins to tho increases in price, he said he had already taken steps to deal with this matter, and it had been referred to the Board of Trade.