COAL RATION

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 199, 11 May 1918, Page 2

COAL RATION

TLUE FOU THE VUBIIC TO WAKE UP. Sir -That wo in Now Zealand should ba fuel famine as now exists.' It uiui elrnrts' ven free scope, can produce no better re>the, should bo replaced inSent bv others. If the present posito b duo to « failure to cwrynto^ their plans and to oiujhk to have resigned .ong hofc-ie wore brought to, tins pass, so t at Umely investigation .night have bee! oiuri. Now wo have winter upon «b, and, tor out!., are adjured to .make sacn hec cheerfully i" or.loi- to win (no war. iho act, of course, ia that what we art, putting up with has no eftcct whatever toaiVthe winning of tho war;, we arc simply suffering for the amazing inc icily of those who were entrusted with the organisation of this industry, ami wo are not thereby forwarding the 'can«e of Umpire in (ho smallest degree. There is coal to be won m vast ;jua;itili«V there are coastal steamers of ample capacity, and there arc- men. It'S.ci.ninon knowledge ...» well as ,i cherished military secret) that recruiting and, eu,. « Shave not by. any mcans nonelcsslv depleted the mines of labour. The fact that our abundant resources have been so ineptly and uninlelhgencb employed as lu produce I ho silunlio, which' now prevails is irrctutablo proo of the pitiful incompetence with winch Lhis branoh of our public affairs lias been administered. No attempt even is made to put forward any ligurns to enlighten tho public ,s to average output at miua

mouths, average import into tlio city. average consumption. K''°ss reserves, or any other factor involved. We are lucrely put oft' with a few general aphorisms jiidicatiug a complelo failuro to t ;' asp the. realities on the part of tlioir composer. If wo as taxpayers intend to rest supine, under such condition!!, we may then ho wiicil to lmvo the sort of Government wo deserve, and to iit admirably our present, rolo ot doormats whereon tliu autocrats of tlio few coal depots left open may vino their boots.—l am, etc., HALF-MUCK. May 10, 1918.