SHORTAGE OF COAL.

Wanganui Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 160737, 25 August 1920, Page 8

SHORTAGE OF COAL.

New Zealand is not the only State which is seriously affected by the shortage In coal stocks and output in New South Wales. The Sydney Telegraph, in a recent issue, points out that the four States of Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, and West Australia are all confronted with a serious crisis. All the coal produced in New South Wales cannot go to the other States. There is an oversea trade lost during the war to be re-built, and a new but perhaps capricious oversea trade offering. It has been proposed that the Federal Government should put an embargo on the export of coal until the Australian market is supplied. But the Prime Minister urges that it would be a pity to interfere with the export trade in this way even if the power to do this existed. It was pointed out before the Federal Select Committee on Sea Carriage last week that the difficulty is not one of transportation but of production, which has been shortened by the seamen’s strike, the engineers’ strike, and the influenza. A way out was suggested by the utilisation of stocks of coal which the Commonwealth Government amassed incidentally to its policy of keeping the coal mines partially active during the war. This coal is doing no good where it is. The quantity is estimated at 100,000 tons, and, in addition, the Commonwealth Government has other large reserves. The Telegraph says: Although it might not be politic to diminish these yet, the position might be eased by releasing the 100,000 tons stocked at Newcastle. Anything within reason that can be done should be done to come to the relief of less fortunately endowed States, whose prosperity is, after all, our own. The obvious way out of the whole difficulty is to raise more coal, so that there would be enough to keep both the local trade and the export trade going. But the policy of Labour is to insist on the production of less at greater cost. What else can be the effect of shorter hours and higher pay.