COAL STOCKS LOW

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24633, 14 June 1941, Page 10

COAL STOCKS LOW

AUSTRALIAN PRODUCTION i HINDERED BY STRIKES v WAR EFFORT SUFFERS I - -- ---- (Air Mail) SYDNEY. June 8. ' Industrial disputes which hold up the production and transport of coal are having disastrous effects on Australia’s war effort, according to the chairman of the Commonwealth Coal Board, Mr Jutice Davidson. He appealed to all unionists concerned, and to mine and ship owners, to co-operate so that coal supplies and reserves would be sufficient to meet all war demands. “ The Coal Board is not interested in .the merits of the industrial issues involved,” he said. “ But it is alarmed at the tragic and avoidable loss of coal «o urgently required for essential services. Coal stocks, particularly in the southern district of New. South Wales.i in Victoria, and South Australia, have not been replenished. sincethey were seriously depleted by the coal strike in 1940. This has been’ due to lack of, shipping and irregular routing of available ships, and to , industrial hold-ups in thdx dMlmlhing-industry. ; Shipping difficulties are unavoidable, because of the wari; .But, with the elaborate. Federal machinery set up to deal with coal disputes, mine stoppages are difficult to justify. Lack of Shipping “ Essential services and heavy industries in Victoria and South - Australia depend on- coal supplies shipped from New South- Wales. To provide for current consumption and to build up stock# sufficient for emergencies, Victoria requires 50,000. to 60,000 tons of New South Walds coal every week. South Australia require# 20,000 tons. Weekly shipments to Victoria for some time, have averaged only 35,000 tons. For the week ended May 31 they dropped to 18,453 tons —30,000 to 40,000 tons less than requirements. This was due to lack of shipping, v . “If normal production is maintained, sufficient coal can be produced from Maitland coalfield to meet all the immediate demands in New South Wales and the southern States. ’ But working time lost on the Maitland field through industrial disputes averages 10' per cent. For the week ended May 14, 13.5 per cent, of available working days were lost on the Maitland field, through strike#, representing a loss of 15,931 tons of saleable output. In the same, week mechanical breakdowns and other reasons accounted for a loss of 10,836 tons’ from the same fields, bringing the total loss to 26,767 tons —25 per cent, of the possible saleable i . Losses Through Strikes “ The industrial position- is even worse than on the southern coalfields. Some collieries lose more than 20 per cent. ■ working time, through strikes. The district average is 12 per cent. ' Heavy metal'industries in New South Wales relying wholly on southern district coking-coals cannot get enough coal for current consumption, and are seriously exhausting reserve coal stocks to maintain production. “The board plans to establish buffer stocks at Newcastle. Coal will be dumped if ships are not available. %nd can be lifted when ships are available but mines are idle. Provision is also being made for emergency stocks at country centres. Transport of coal by rail from Lithgow to the Victorian border has started'.