SHORTAGE OF COAL

Otago Witness, Issue 3403, 4 June 1919, Page 41

SHORTAGE OF COAL

RESTRICTED SALES IN GREYMOUTH. GREYMOUTH, May 27. The manager of the State collieries has instructed local coal dealers not to sell lots of mere than scwt, in order to relieve the shortage in the large centres. CAUSE OP THE SHORTAGE. WELLINGTON, May 27. The Hon. Mr Myers (Minister in charge of coal distribution), referring to a statement published recently that people were short of coal not so much because there was less hewn in the country, but because huge quantities were being taken by the railways, Said this was not the position, and in order to remove any misapprehension on the Doint he quoted the combined outputs and importations for the'last five years: 1914, 2,793,663 tons; 1915, 2,562,095 tons; 1916, 2,559.091 tons; 1917, 2,360,016 tons; 1918, 2,078,626 tons. Compared with 1914, the figures for 1918 disclosed a shortage of 715,037 tons, of which 529,138 tons was the shortage in hard coals produced in New Zealand. It would thus be seen how the present shortage of coal for industrial and domestic use had taken place, as the total coal available for 1914 represented about tho normal requirements for maintaining the dominion's industries, publio services, and trade purposes. In order that the pubbe might have some idea of the coal required to maintain the publio industries ot the dominion, the Minister supplied the following figures:—Railways, 300,000 tons; bunkering requirements, 400,000 tons; freezing works, 130,000 tons; gasworks, 240,000 tons; electric light and power, 70,000 tons. These industries and services required almost exclusively hard coal, and, therefore, it would be readily understood the difficulty there was in making full provision for the domestic and other requirements of the dominion. The _ balance available was 898,625 tons approximately. Regarding the statement that "the railways had been building up stocks of coal to the detriment of householders, the Minister stated that the present position in regard to railway stocks was causing the gravest anxiety j and if the position did not improve a further curtailment of train services might be looked for.