THE Daily Telegraph WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE WAIHI MINER TUESDAY, MAY 6, 1919. THE COAL SCARCITY

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume XVII, Issue 5610, 6 May 1919, Page 2

THE Daily Telegraph WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE WAIHI MINER

TUESDAY, MAY 6, 1919. THE COAL SCARCITY

Hero shall tho Press the People’s Right maintain. Unawed by influence and unbribed by gain, Here Patriot Truth her glorious precepts draw, Pledged to Religion Liberty and Law.

The very serious nature of tho coal scarcity is disclosed hy the statement of Sir James Allen, Acting-Premier, that the passenger trains may have to cease running. Industrial disputes in Australia., coupled with complications between State and Federal authorities, increase the seriousness of the position,and stress the reminder that the coal out look for the winter is by no means promising. The problem which New Zealand has to deal with is not only the distribution oil coal, but the production. The activities of the National Government are almost solely confined to distribution, and in this direction some admittedly good results have been produced. When the other branch of the problem, production, is considered, a fresh set of difficulties has to he laced. Tha State’s power of compulsion can bring together the buyer and the seller of coal, but has hitherto failed to establish between employer and employee an unbreakable itadustrial agreement. The chief reason of this is that labour unions do not take the same view as private persons of' pledged undertakings; and while an allocation order of a coal committee is obeyed, an award of tho Arbitration Court is not. In this lies one of the greatest difficulties of tire coal situation, but it is outside the scope of the Coal Trade Control, whose chief activity in the way of increasing supply consists of anangiug for shipments from abroad. But whatever may he done in tho direction of increasing tonnage and of making the utmost use of oversten sources of production, the fact remains that New Zealand now depends on New South Wales coal in so great a degree that a cessation of export from that State, whether due to industrial stoppage or to Government action, would he a very serious development. If New Zealand ? coal supplies fell beloAV snbsistancc point, industries on the lower grades partly-esscntinl ones—would be compelled to shorten sail; and the householder’s position would also be affected by a cessation’ of export from Newcastle. These possibilities should act as a caution, agalinsh waste, and in the hope that, in the community’s best interest, employer and employee in the New Zealand industry will co-operate move fully than they have done hitherto. The almost chronic uncertainty as to the sufficiency of fuel supplies is convincing proof of,the need of hydro-clectnc power.