SERIOUS SHORTAGE OF COAL; KO SEATING FOR HOSPITAL WARDS

Wanganui Chronicle, 28 April 1949, Page 4

SERIOUS SHORTAGE OF COAL; KO SEATING FOR HOSPITAL WARDS

A serious coal shortage has developed in Wanganui since Easter, due in part to poor shipping services an! also stoppages of work at the Tatu and Waitewhenua open-cast mines near Ohura. No collier has discharged at Oastlecliff since the Puriri brought 1030 tons of coal early in March, and the Municipal Gasworks, which shri’ d be bulging up reserves at th!; time of the year, are existing on a “hand-to-mouth” basis on coal railed from elsewhere. At the Wanganui General Hospital the position is more serious and for the past three or four days ft has been impossible to heat the wards.

The engineer to the Wanganui Hospital Board, Mr. F. Martin Smith, said last night that in his 30 years of experience with hospital boards he had never known the coal situation to be so grim. At 10 o'clock yesterday morning, he added, there was only one barrow load of coal at the hospital. Fortunately, he was able to borow a small supply from the Imlay Freezing Works, but it would not last after 11 a.m. today. Mr. Smith said he had been advised by the merchants that 70 tons of open-cast coal from the Ohura district was now on its way to Wanganui by rail, but the hospital would have to share this with other consumers. Th* position was grim and he had not heated the hospital for three or four days. Steam services were available only for the operating theatre, cooking and the laundry. FUTURE OUTLOOK. The merchants supplying coal have given every assistance possible, and the engineer to the Freezing Works had also been very helpful, but the future outlook was far from bright. “I will not be happy about the situation till we have 70 tons of coal in our bunkers,” Mr. Smith added. The hospital boilers consumer 85 to 90 tons of coal per week, but when good quality fuel was available they used only half that quantity. The open-cast coal was not the best and about 45 per cent, of it was ash. If left in the bunkers for 10 days it was difficult to distinguish this coal from papa. “With the small quantity of coal on hand and what we have been able to borrow I hope to carry on, but only the essential services are being supplied and the position is certainly difficult, said Mr. Smith.

The engineer and manager of the Municipal Gas Department, Mr. J. W. Atkinson, said last night that the Coal Controller was making plenty of coal available, but a difficulty was being experienced in getting it to Wanganui. Apparently the depths at the harbour entrance had been a factor which had kept colliers away from Wanganui, though he understood that there had been an improvement ?ntly. The Puriri, which was last at Castlecliff on March 7, 8 and 9, had since made two trips to New Plymouth, and was there last week. During her most, recent trip to the Taranaki port she had discharged 600 tons of Wanganui coal. Some of it was railed toward the end of last week and the balance had arrived at the beginning of this week. RESERVE STOCKS USED Fprtunately, the Gasowrks had fairly good reserve stocks before the present shortage developed, and had been able to carry on. Some coal had also been railed from Wellington, but it was not of good qualify. Boiler fuel had also been borrowed from the Imlay Freezing Works, and this had kept the Gasworks going till further coal arrived by rail on Easter Saturday. The position was also complicated because of the mishap to the coastal steamer Holmlea, when bound from Greymouth fo Wanganui on February 19. The vessel had since been withdrawn for overhaul and this meant that one less collier was available for the trade between West Coast ports and Wanganui.

“The Coal Controller is making plenty of coal available at Greymouth, but the difficulty is getting it here,’’ Mr. Atkinson added. “We are living from hand-to-mouth and will do so till such time as we can get the coal into the port. Railing coal to Wanganui is a very expensive business ’’ At this time of the year the works should be building up reserve stocks so that supplies of ‘coal would be available in the event of bad weather closing the West Coast coal ports. Under the present method, however, it was impossible to build up reserves. “We are receiving sufficient coal to carry on with in the meantime and there is no danger of restricting gas services at present," said Mr. Atkinson. “We shall continue railing coal from Wellington in order to keep the works going.”