PRICE OF SLACK COAL

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 271, 5 August 1918, Page 6

PRICE OF SLACK COAL

GOVERNMENT INQUIEY PROCEEDING.

Speaking (o a Dominion representative, the Mayor ,Mt. J. 1.. Luke) said Hint it had. como to hisi knowledge that Micro was very widespread dissatisfaction on tho part of tho public over tho price that was, mug , charged 'for slack, particularly since it was known that the price paid for it by merchants was so very much lower than unscreened coal, and he hoped that his action in bringing the matter under the notico of tho Government would lead to an inquiry, for it seemed to him that those who had sold largo qunnti' ties of slack had "n pretty good thing on" at tho prices they were charging and in view of tho manner in which people wero compelled to buy 6laok before I hey could secure coal. In regard to this matter Mr.R.Semple (minim;' inspector for the Miners' Federation) stated yesterday that somo of the "stuff" brought into Wellington and sold ns slack was an unmarketable article before tho war. In thoso days it was used to ballast tho truck lines, and was dumped as worthless. This kind of slack had been brought to his house.in Wellington, and ho had seen it in other premises. On his return to the West Coast ho would inqnire into the extent' of this unloading of a former waste material on to tho public at the retail prices up to .£3 a ton. . Tho Hon. A. Myers (Minister of Mum- « tions), under whom the Coal Committee (not tho Coal Trade Committee) work, is mating full inquiry into the matter.