CEMENT SUPPLIES

Otago Witness, Issue 3495, 1 March 1921, Page 37

CEMENT SUPPLIES

AFFECTED BY INDUSTRIAL TROUBLES. (From Our Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, February 27. The acute position that at present exists in the cement supplies for the Wellington district was referred to by the Hon. E. P. Lee (President of the Board of Trade) yesterday. As a result of the recent coal mining trouble, said Mr Lee, especially the strike at Kaitangata, and the temporary closing of the Kiripaka mine, the operations of both the Milburn Lime and Cement Company at Dunedin and of the Wilson’s Portland Cement Company at Auckland were seriously hampered, the output being reduced to less than half the normal output, which meant a temporary loss of practically 1000 tons per week. These cement works are now again working at their full capacity, but, of course, the loss of output while coal supplies were short cannot possibly bo made good. Supplies for Wellington were affected by the reduced output at Auckland, and the position has been further aggravated by the trouble on the waterfront. The most regular supplies for Wellington are obtained from Golden Bay, but these supplies are quite inadequate to meet the demand, and shipments are arranged whenever possible from the Auckland works. As a matter of fact, 1000 tons were actually loaded at Auckland for ’Wellington at the beginning of this week, but as there was no possibility of the cargo being unloaded, and the shipping company was not prepared to allow the boat to come to Wellington it was necessary to divert the cargo to New Plymouth. W’ellington was thus deprived of 1000 tone,.,, which would to some extent have relieved the position. Several shipments of imported cement, induced to some extent by the remission of duty allowed by the Government, have arrived, and further quantities from overseas are included in the cargoes of vessels now awaiting discharge at W’ellington.