COAL SHORTAGE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1443, 18 May 1912, Page 3

COAL SHORTAGE.

* | CHRISTCHURCH WITHOUT SUPPLIESLACK OF RAILWAY TRUCKS. STEAMERS UNABLE TO DISCHARGE. Cliy Telegraph—Special Correspondent.) Christchurch, May 17. Supplies of coal in North Canterbury are running low mainly because of delays at Lyttelton. At a meeting of the Coal Merchants' Association last night it was asserted that the companies had been compelled to cut out trips of colliers to Lytlelton owing to the shortage of trucks, and the consequent impossibility of discharging cargoes in the time available. The arrival uf the Waihoru ten days ago saved Christchurch from famine, but the shortage continues, and industrial operations all over North Canterbury are hampered. Representations . aro being made, to the Railway Department on tho subject. The position regarding the coal shortage in Chi'istchiirch was summarised by a" leading coal dealer to-day. lie said that the.trouble was. caused simply and solely by a lack of railway triicks. Ihe shortage meant that shins nad to wor.; one or two gangs for half a day and then knock off for lack of trucks.. Occasionally the. Railway Department was aule to bring down a sufficiency of trucks, and then the rush meant a shortage otlabour. lie instanced the case of ii'.e \\ aihora, which had arrived at Lyttelton with coal. She worked for a while, and put about a thousand tans into hulks for want of trucks, and had then gone on to iimaru in tile vain hope of imding trucks tiiero. I'mallr tho. vessel had had to come bacs to Lvttelton to complete her discharge. I f was quite a month before she got away. The same vessel had arrived back in port on May 4, and now at the end of twelve days had discharged only halt her cargo. ' . . „ "There is sufficient ccal arriving, the merchant said, "but we cannot get it out of the steamer, much less to Christchuicn. The country yards have run dry, and there was a famine in Asuburton ft ion davs ago. Unless tho Railway Department give us several hundred 111010 trucks on the Canterbury section to cope with the traffic a winter shortage is ccrAnother gentleman explained that the Railway Department could iacuitate the handling of coal by working overtime, a thing which it declined'to do either at Lvttelton or Christchurch.. lhe Department was responsible for the supply ot labour for the trucks but was not prepared to work overtime, although %n£ Union Steam Ship. Company was prepared to work all nisjht. As an instance of the delav, it was stated that a vessel had arrived with 1100 tons 'of coal, which should have been discharged in ten woncing hours. Instead of that, tno . vessel had to wait 16R working, hours in port before completing her discharge. A gentleman v;ell acquainted with tno shipping trade remarked...to, a reporter that he thought it unfair tor the merchants to put the whole of. tlw blame on tho railway authorities. In his opinion the merchants had failed..fully to consider the fact, that a few- weeks backGreat Britain had had'to', face a huge coal strike. For the-past month or two the big Home liners nad shipped exceptionally large quantities of. bunker coal, chieflv due to tho present industrial upheaval in tho Old Country, l'or montlis past tho coal hulks at Lyttelton had been more often empty than full. Th.s wa-, clear proof that there was not sumo cut coal available to ker-P them loaded up to the full capacity. Timber, on the other hand, had been passing through tile poit in exceptionally large quantities.

MINISTERS' INTENTIONS. A CONFERENCE TO BE HELD. , <By Talcftropli.—Press Association.! Ounedin, May 17. In connection with the representations which have been placed before the Hon. A. J!. Mvers, the Minister for Railways, during his visit to the South Island in reference to tho shortage of trucks, ino Minister informel a reporter to-aay that it imd been arranged that Mr. liper, «onior traffic manager of the UurunuiBiuff section, should leave to-morrow for tho north for the purpose of conferring with Mr. Stringleinan, district traihe manager at Christihureh, with a of a meeting of representatives from various shipping interests and others interested in the shortage of trucks, the object being to remove the existing grounds of complaint by doing clothing possible to minimise the present inconvenience and congestion, of traffic in tho meantime. In addition to 323 wagons at present building, and which, it is expected, will bo on tho road within the nest four months, every expedition is being used in regard to further improving matters by increasing the size or the present wagons and raising their holdmg capacity from 6 to 8 tons. 4 The Minister is hopeful that there will be lc-ss justification in future for complaints of the same nature,