RESPECTING COAL.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1911, 20 November 1913, Page 8

RESPECTING COAL.

NO REASON FOR ANY CONCERN. CARGOES DIVERTED HERE. "The, striker, in his blindness hows '.down to wood and coal." The paraphrase "of Bishop '.. Heber's lines is apt enough just . jiow, as it is . fairly well understood that one of.the strikers' chief hopes is that, failing all else, the shortage or entire lack of fuel, consequent upon tho stoppage of work at tho mines, will sooner or later paralyse tho industrial ,'lifo of New Zealand. And the striker would, be quite right, if'ho were in a position to command a hare market, but ho is not. On inquiry it has been ascertained that the greater number of the larger industrial concerns of New Zealand, the heads of which have learned their lesson well from pas't'.troubles, have ample stocks of coal to keep them going for six or eight weeks to come, -'at least.-. But long before that time, howcyer—in fact, fairly soon —there will I be developments that will make even the coalminor realise that the country is ho moro dependent upon him than it i; on the. handful of watersido workers who .have worked up the present trouble., Thero are many countries far larger and more populous than New Zealand who manage to move along without a local coal supply, and an illustration of how New Zealand may do likewise will almost certainly be afforded the public at a date not far remote It is known beyond doubt that already many cargoes of coal on the high seas have been diverted this way, and that arrangements are being made for others to follow in quick succession if the existing . strike continues. One leading citizen, who is the bead of a very large concern which" depends on coal to keep the wheels revolving, stated yesterday:— „ "There need be no anxiety on the part of anyono that the industries of New Zealand will be seriously interfered with through lack of coal supplies. We have been more than fortunate in making arrangements to meet that difficulty."