NO IMMEDIATE RELIEF

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25853, 25 May 1945, Page 4

NO IMMEDIATE RELIEF

COAL SUPPLIES FROM SOUIH SMALL QUANTITY ARRIVES “The contract for the working of the open-cast mine at Ohai was let to Messrs Downer and Co. before Easter, but they took over the job only on Thursday of last week,” said the president of the Dunedin Coal Merchants’ Union (Mr D. R. Wilson) when commenting yesterday on the position in regard to supplies of coal from the Southland mines. Mr Wilson said he had been reliably informed that only a very small quantity of coal had been put out of the open-cast mine. A small quantity of coal from the Southland mines arrived in Dunedin yesterday morning, but it was not sufficient to ease the position to any extent. In addition to the opencast mine at Ohai, he added, there were six other mines producing coal in the same district. The output of these mines at present was going to the Railways Department, and until the open-cast mine produced coal in sufficient quantities for the Railways Department to release the coal from the other mines for household purposes r.o alleviation of the position could be expected. It was strange, Mr Wilson added, that there should been so long a delay since Easter in commencing operations in the open-cast mine, which under private ownership was formerly producing 600 tons a week. According to a report from Invercargill, which appeared in the Daily Times yesterday, he said, it was believed that no early relief could be expected so far as the Southland mines were concerned, and weight would have to be given to that report since Invercargill was so close to the source of supply. “On the other hand,” Mr Wilson added, “we have the reported assurance of the Acting Minister of Mines (Mr J. G. O’Brien) that it is hoped to arrange for increased supplies next week. That is the only possible way in which the merchants can hope to overtake their four weeks' .arreas of orders and increase the present quantity of coal being supplied to householders with each order.”