OUTPUT OF GAS STILL BELOW THE CITY’S NEEDS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 90, Issue 164, 17 July 1946, Page 4

OUTPUT OF GAS STILL BELOW THE CITY’S NEEDS

Wanganui’s gasworks are now operating at only about 75 per cent, of its maximum output, and this will be reduced still further progressivey until a relief shipment of coal arrives. The announcement yesterday afternoon that the seamen who participated in Ihe dispute which caused the hold-up of coal shipments will now’ sail should mean an end to the crisis, but when this will be was not known last night.

Pending the arrival of coal, the gasworks are compelled to use a certain amount of lignite to keep going, and it is estimated that by this means the works will function until Saturday. Unfortunately, lignite has nu gas-producing qualities, and its use means a further drop in output. The authorities can plan only on a day-to-day basis in the meantime. Reduced pressure ans cut-offs are possible. Gas distribution may be cut off entirely between 1.30 and 4 p.m. today. “We dislike having to do this, but under the circumstances we are doing as much as we can to keep the supply going,” the manager (Mr. W. J. Stone) said yesterday. He particularly asked consumers with automatic water heaters Io watch these closely, as cut-offs might, have to be enforced at very short notice—possibly without prior warning through the Press. The works have a capacity of about 40 lons of coal each day, but as the main worry now is to keep them going as Jong as possible, they are not working up to this, and only about 30 tons are being put through. At the present time the works are reduced to using 11 of the 12 retorts, but this number will be lessened further as the stocks on hand are used up. This will mean a corresponding reduction in the output. Every effort is being made to keep as many retorts going as possible, for if too many go out difficulty will be experienced In restarting them.

With the modern vertical retort in use at Wanganui it is necessary to have them filled with coke before they can be started, and the difficulty will be to get enough coke to do this, for at present the coke is being used to make water gas to eke out the coal supply. A vicious circle is created, as the less retorts there are in operation the less coke is made, and there is less to restart them. If gas manufacture comes to a standstill it may take four or five days before the plant can be fully functioning again. The old type horizontal retort did not require this coke, for provided there was coal enough to keen them warm they could be fairly easily restarted. Consumers are finding it. difficult to make do on the reduced pressure, but no improvement can be exnected until the coal arrives. “That is all we can promise just now,’’ Mr. Stone commented.