MASTERTON COAL SUPPLIES.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1759, 26 May 1913, Page 6

MASTERTON COAL SUPPLIES.

A PECULIAR POSITION, (By Telegraph.—Scecial Corroanondent.) Masterton, May 23. SomeiVhat surprising, information laid before the .flou; W. I'raser (Minister for Public' Works) by Mr. J. M.. Corndina (Mayor, of Maiterton)' this evening was that the. borough wiis frequently u.hable to find ,a" .sufficient supply of coal for its municipal, gasworks, owing to a i-'carcity of trucks at V/estport. The Railway Department, Mr. Corndine stated, ~ said that the trucks were available,' and wew there,' but the manager of the Westport Coal Company said that the trucks were not available, yhe shortage'of coal extended private consumers in Masterlon. ..During the last month dealers in the town had been unable, to obtain any coal through the ordinary channels, and the Borough Council had betfn compelled to lend tome to hotel* and other consum;!.!'!;. The. council could not sell the. coaL For some years, until L a year ago,, the council hod maintained V retail de-' pot, but the Auditor-General had stopped tbem on the ground that the trade was illegal. The Government itelf had depots for the sale of coal in some places in the.Dominion (there is none in Masterton)-, but it would not: permit the borough to conduct a similar enterprise. The. Minister' promised to refer tho matter to his'colleague, the Minister for Railways. There were two sides to every qiKstioiij he said, add lie had understood that the shortage of trucks in tin; Dominion bad been relieved. In any case a reinedy would have to be found for the state of afl'nirs which Mr. Coradine had mentioned.