TARANAKI DAIRY COMPANIES

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 204, 23 May 1919, Page 10

TARANAKI DAIRY COMPANIES

I "ACQUIRE INTEREST IN PUPONGA ! Ml^li*. i (By Telegraph-Special Correspondent.) ! ' Palmerston North, May 22. ; Information has just leaked out through ' an unquestionable source that the dairy ' companies of Taranaki 'iave acquired a i bi" interest in tho I'upongu coal mine, '- sutfioient to divert a-largo portion of the I mine's output to tho hutter province. i The mine was shutdown, for somo con- ' siderablo time on account of their not ! being sufficient water at the wharf which : serves as an outlet for tho. output to : accommodate vessels of any size. Tho • 'Government was approached some .timo :' ago with, a view to advancing euniciont ' money to lengthen the wharf, the State to be entitled to sufficient coal to cover ! ■ the guarantee. Tho fiovernment de- : clined to' handle tho proposition. J'lie ' dairy companies of Taranaki were sip- ■■ "proached by the company, and they : ,'ieadily took the matter up, with tho i ' resutt that it is now announced that , a i combination of the factories has sub- '■ scribed , sufficient money to give it a i controlling interest in the cine, v/itli a ,' ' right to about 200,000 ions of c< al per I,' annum. It is iindcrstood that the jetty '■ ' will be lengthened so a3 to jrivo sufficient j water for vessels of from SCO to 800 tons, '' and the coal will be shippsd d : rect from ; . there to Taranaki ports. It is inideri stood thr.t the combination of dairy : . companies jn question has taken up in I ...the vicinity of ,£40,000 worth of shores. ■ The arrangement was entered into with ■'■ tho object of putting the coal ehortiigu . beyond the pale so far as the dairying ' ■ industry of Taranaki is concerned, once i -the mine is given a now lease of life ' and needed improvements undcrtaKen.