COAL SHORTAGE.

Timaru Herald, Volume CVIII, Issue 16821, 28 May 1919, Page 2

COAL SHORTAGE.

INSTRUCTIVE FIGURES/ SITUATION GRAVE. ' * Per Press Association. "WELLINGTON, May 27. The Hon. A. M. Myers, Minister in charge of coal distribution, referring to a statement published recently that the people were short of coal, not so much because' there was less Slewed in the country, _ but because huge quantitities were being taken by the railways, said this was not the position, and' in order to remove any misapprehension on the point he quoted the combined outputs and importations for the last five years as follows~ 1914—2,793,663 tons; 1915—2,562,095: 1916 '1918—2,078,626. Compared with 1914 the figures for 191S disclose a shortage Pf 715,037 tons, of which 529,138 tons •is a 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 the normal ' requirements for maintaining the Dominion's industries and public boi-viees and for trade purposes. In order that the public, might have some idea of the coal required to maintain the public industries of the Dominion, the Minister supplied The following figuresßailways, 300 oi.-0 tons; bunkering requirements, 440,Gf>0 tons; freezing works, 130,000; gas works, 240,000; electric light and power. 170,000. These industries and services required almost exclusively hard coal, therefore it would readiiy be understood the difficulty there was m making full provision for (lie domestic and other requirements of t?io. Dominion on the balance loadable, approximately 898,626 tons. Regarding a statement that tlto railways had 'been building ud stVrks of cool, to the detriment of householders, the Minister stated t ha.- iV> present position^in regard to railway stocks was causine the gravest anxiety, and if the nosition did not 'inprove a further curtailment of train services might be looked for.