ANOTHER REASON WHY COAL IS SHORT

Chronicle (Levin), 22 June 1946, Page 2

ANOTHER REASON WHY COAL IS SHORT

-Press Association

By Telegraph-

WKLBIXGTOX, ,1 uii o 21. 1 n .the iirst iive aml a-Iuilf uiontlm of j tliis year, IdO days liavc been lost bv j liinc collieis tljrougii crew disputes or ' crew sliortages. Four of the ships are regularly engag-ed in trade between the west couht of . the Bouth Island and Wellington. • The Kaimai, Pooita, (Jabriella aml Wingatui have been held up at vari6us tiiires aggregating 70 days sinre .tauiia'ey 1, for this reason. On a con.sei' vaflVe- "e'rftimaf(?"*at,r' tba^C ■ 2(l,0()() tous-'of c'oal have been delayed in transit on the fou'r ships concerned, 1 allowing approximately iive davs for a round trip. It is considered that it Ihe t-olliers had operated regularly, 1 even with the delays causeihby troublo 1 on the bars at Westport and Hokitika, a steady supply of coal could have been maintained in Wellington. ^ The Kaimai has been aft'ected worsc 1 t hau any other ;eoHier, losing 43 days ' in hold-ups over crew trouble. This means she lias lost about eight completv trips to and from AVestport, delaying the arrival of some 15,000 tons. | The Pooita, which is capable of ; carrying 2000 tons, has lost 14 dayS or nearly three sailings. \ Three days liave been lost by the Wingatui which has a capacity of 2700 tons while the Gabriella, which carries both timber and coal or either, has lieen held up 10 days. Fully loaded 1 with coal tlie Gabriella takes about , 1 S00 tons and is usually employed in , tlie trade between the west coast and .Auckland. . | The Omana has a record of 28 days' i lost timo.' Both the Karepo and Kartigi wliich discharges at Auckland have losses of 10 days. The Kaimiro : and Kiwitea, ships capable of carrying 2s5i) tons, which are luindled at either Wellington or Auckland, have a loss of eight and seven days respectively.