CLOSED GOAL PITS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 184, 10 July 1940, Page 2

CLOSED GOAL PITS

— » 400 MAY BE OPENED IN BRITAIN WORLD DEMAND DUE TO WAR One half of I/he miners of Great Britain who were unemployed at ahe outbreak of war are now at work as a result of the Government drive to increase the peacetime output of 240 ;< OOO,OOO tons a year by 40,000,000 tons. Lord Portal, chairman of the Coal Production Council, is now touring British coalfields to speed production up to the full 280,000,000 tons required to meet the enormous world demand created by the blockade of German exports.. When war began Germany was selling abroad some 24,000,000 tons a year and Poland 14,000,000, almost half of which trade it is estimated, has now been cut off by the British Navy. France, Italy, the South American countries and overseas bunkering stations are all clamouring for supplies and inquiries are also coming in from Canada, Portugal, Greece, Egypt and Algeria. Italy Lost 2,000,000 tons of coal when shipment from Rotterdam was held up. It is possible that the Government will now help to re-lopen many of the 400 mines which for economic reasons have been shut down since 1929. These and other measures are now being discussed with the coal owners and miners' leaders by the Coal Production Council.