COAL SHORTAGE IN AUSTRALIA

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24909, 24 June 1946, Page 4

COAL SHORTAGE IN AUSTRALIA

CUTS IN RAIL SERVICES

MR CHIFLEY GOES TO SYDNEY (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 11 p.m.) SYDNEY, July 23. The Australian Prime Minister (Mr Chifley) is hastening to Sydney tonight to meet the Australian Railways’ Union officials in an urgent conference on the coal shortage, which will attempt to prevent complete industrial and transport chaos in Sydney. The proposed cuts in railway services are expected to have serious results on the food position in the city. The Railways’ Union officials allege that anti-Labour forces are trying to impose the present ration schemes on the public jn order to create hostility towards the Labour Party at the forthcoming elections. Yesterday thousands of racegoers were stranded for more than an hour at Rosehill, even although cancellation of the special trains meant the reduction of the usual race crowd by a third.

To-day no trams run in Sydney or its suburbs. Buses are doing the best they can to deal with Sunday crowds in weather which is perfect for midwinter.

With power cuts already made and an easing of the load over the weekend. the Bunnerong power house is just managing, to meet the demands for electricity. Regulations gazetted yesterday provide for a £5OO fine for failure to observe the electricity restrictions. The following restrictions have been imposed in .New South Wales. Electricity: outdoor lights and space heating in commercial premises are banned. Trains: no Sunday trams, and restricted services at week-day offpeak periods. Trains: hourly suburban services instead of quarter-hourly at off-peak periods, sleepers withdrawn, and the number of mail trains reduced, special race trains banned. * In Melbourne, the gas rationing imposed for the week-end is- almost certain to be continued next week. Drastic rationing of gas and electricity will follow a conference in Brisbane on Monday. The New South Wales Commissioner (Mr Williams) said that unless there was a ‘‘revolutionary increase” in coal production, cuts in power to vital industries were inevitable. The Minister of Local Government (Mr J. Cahill) said that if coal stocks did not improve quickly gas supplies also would be affected. The authorities state that the coal position, in a nutshell, is that not enough coal is being mined to meet the demands.