COAL FOR OUR LOCOMOTIVES.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 603, 3 September 1909, Page 4

COAL FOR OUR LOCOMOTIVES.

WHY .WE IMPORT FROM NEWOASTI.E. '; . Keplying to a oomplaint about the .Railway Department -'importing coal -from Neivcastlo,\ ■when miners on the' West Coast-are. bsingdis-' missed, owing to .the 'scarcity.'of' orders, the Hon. J. A. Millar .explains that' the pro- : duoers in' New,; Zealand (including;tho' State), are not' keeping, pace With; the orders 'given by. the Department. He. goes on.to saytha't: the DopaTtintnt.. has • taken all: the.'coal.. that .tho Westport Company has;been able to; ripply.Of 8600 tons ordered-sines July, only 3626 tons had been sent forward. In regard to tho State Department,; he. mentions that: it' lias; only de- : lircrcd' 47,257 tons out "of a total' order of 76,450 tons; ' Mr."Millar also said ;that ,ths Department; is obliged to. use. screened coal, and to have at least three months'i'stoeEs "W hand. Newcastle" coal .would, he asserts,'not bo taken if; Now. Zealand coal were-available. Ho adds: "If. we studied the question of economy only in running tho railways, I have no hesitation in.saying that the use..of Newcastle coal alone/ would bo-' mora profitable from the railway .point of view; but we don't look at it from that point of, view to tho fullest extent, as we believe in using all tho local coai that is available and suitable forour purposes." ■■■ -\ ..'.'.'•' ;.' ; ;.;-. ,'■'.■■'.,'.'