COAL SITUATION.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 15366, 10 November 1920, Page 3

COAL SITUATION.

That the present acute situation with regard to the local s*>al supplies will not be greatly relieved by the arrival and dischurge of the cousigument of coal from Greyiaoufch by the s.s. Karamu, would seem to be indicated by the fact that tue shipment has been cut down from 900 tons to 400, and that practically speaking, all of what may be called the public utilities, are in. a position, where a considerable quantity ia required for their relief. While both the Gas Works and the Borough power-house are working ou 'borrowed supplies, the Harbor Board, which for some time has been in a tight place, now requires a fresh shipment in | order to ensure a continuance of the work of dredging the river after the end ot | this week. The actual position of the Karamu's- shipment, as shown by advices received locally, is that the ship, which left Greymouth on Monday, was to call at Napier and discharge a portion of hei coal cargo there. She is due to arrive at that port to-morrow morning, and in the event of a full shipment of 900 tons being aboard, Napier will receive 500 tons, which should be possible to discharge '.n time to allow tho Karamu's arrival in the Gisborne roadstead on Saturday morning. As it happens, Saturday promises tc be a day on which no other claims will be made on the lightering facilities, and the 400 tons remaining should be landed during that day and the following night This, of course, is dependent upon weathe: and labor conditions. However, the discharge of the shipment will constitute a good day's work, in fair conditions, and any hitch in these proceedings will, according to the instructions of the Union Company, entail the entire cessation of activities, as the vessel must not be detained over the Saturday. Of course, if the present hold-up in the waterside work continues until the week-end, the ship will not come to Gisborno at all.

Mr W. F. lies, local representative of the Coal Control Board, speaking on thr matter of coal supplies this morning, mentioned that the present supplies available for local consumption, are procured from the West Coast collieries, as for some time practically no shipments have been forthcoming from Newcastle, Australia, and the northern collieries are not now shippj^p to the East Coast. Prior to the failure of the Newcastle' supplies, Gisborae was very fortunate in the matter of coal, as boats used to come into the roadstead fairly regularly at six-weekly periods, with an average consignment of 1600 tons. Mr lies considered that the recent visit of tho Opihi was probably a tentative re-opening of communication by the Newcastle shippers, but the bad luck attending that visit, despite tho fancy freight paid, probably discouraged the attempt. The schooner-scow Maroro is at present lying at Newcastle with 300 tons of coal aboard for Gisborne, and it is possible that this Shipment may arrive somr time in the near future, possibly in ten days' time, or perhaps in three weeks. This shipment from a source outside New Zealand will be of great assistance in overcoming the deficit in local sxipplies which for months has constituted a .menace to tho public interests. The only other possibility of early relief lies in the probnblr dispatch of a Blackball steamer from thr West Coast, follo-winer tho Knramu. but there is nothing definite about this information.

The existing deficit, Mr lies considered was accounted for by the fact that local consumption, which in pre-war drivs was something in the vicinity of 20.000 i-nrr annually, had increased with the eshnhHsTiment of new industries, whero.is with tfie bier drop in production and tlio increasincr demand from nil ovpt Now Zealand, the eonl supplies nvailablo for GisNmie had sleacTily decreased. One factor in the genernl shortage wns the bunlrerln? of overseas liners on Dominion coal.