COAL SHORTAGE

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 104, 27 January 1920, Page 2

COAL SHORTAGE

PETONE BOROUGH COUNCIL'S

POSITION

LETTER FROM-PRIME MINISTER

For somo timo past the Petone Borough Council lias been unable to obtain supplies of coal for the retail department although private dealers have, been njoro lortunate. and with tho objectybf gettina a share of what wns allocated for domestic use, the council wrote? to tho Prime Minister pointing out that they vero tho biggest dealers in the district. Ihev also asked that tho Minister receive a deputation from the council. At. last nicht's meeting the following reply was received from Mr. Massey, and was read and discussed by tho council:— "With further rpferenco to, my letter of November 18, in reply to yours of sanio date, on the subject of the allocation of domestic coal for the Potoiio Borough by the Wellington. Coal Trade Committee, as promised, I'have had exhaustive inquireis made into the 6ystein : of distribution as carried out by tho AVellineton Committee, which do not hew out tho comments of your council. The following figures obtained from, the official records show the-' actual quantities of coal allocated to your council and tho dealers of Petone for the period September to December, inclusive.—(l) Petone Council. 22D tons. (2) Dealer, 103 tons. IS) Council, Ml tons. (4) Dealer. 124 tens. (5) Council, US tons. (G) Dealer; 96 tons. From which it will bo seen that tho Petone Borough Council actually received more coal for domestic recinirements in the period mentioned than anv dealer in Petone.

"With respect to your statement that while tho council- limits its sales to cwt. of coal, other dealers do not care, about selling in smaller lots than live cwt. this statement is not borne out by the official figures recorded, which are as follow:— No. 1 dealer's average' delivery, lewt. 3qr. 191b.; No. ■ 2 dealer's average delivery, 2c\vt. Oqr: 131b.; No. 3' dealer's averago delivery, 2c\vt. 2qr. 2.51b.; No. 4 dealer's average delivery, 3c.vt. Oqr. 271U; No. 5 dealer's average delivery, iewt. 3qr. 121b.; tho general- average being 3cwt. Oqr. 3lb. to each delivery. "From the foregoing your; council will no doubt appreciate the fact that the committee has allocated available supplies in a fair and equitable manner, and in accordance with tho spirit of tho coal-trade regulations. "It is a matter for congratulation that your council has entered into the retail coal business with a view to supplying tho needs of the residents of Petono at a slight advance on' cost price, but at tho same time it must be quite obvious to your council that during an acute shortage of coal supplies such as has obtained during tho past three yeni'Sj any. vendor who was successful in obtaining sufficient coal would without difficulty have secured the bulk of the household trade, irrespective of price, and this would have been distinctly unfair, and would have penalised other dealers- who depend solely on the retailing of coal for their livelihood. • "I would like to take this opportunity of impressing on your council.'the enormous diiliculties that have teen •encountered in endeavouring to ..provide ■ sufficient coal for the carrying on- of our railways, public services, freezing, and gasworks, essential industries, and public utilities, with a loss in output from the West Coast mines amounting . to approximately 460,000 tons since tho beginning of 1917. As the claims of the above-mentioned services 'arid industries had, in the na-, tional interests, to receive preference hi: the distribution of available supplies, it is regretted that tho quantity then available for household requirements has' fallen short of the demand, but the best possible has beep done with the supplies at our disposal to distribute same in such a manner as to cause as little hard-, ship as possible. The- continuation _of the 'go-slow' policy, in the. Dominion . mines has resulted. 1 in further curtailing .-.supplies,' and. lias considerably--' increased the difficulties of allocation... . "I wish to assure your council that any ; representations made to the. local committed will, as in the past',' ; receive every consideration, and I feel assured of the continued co-operation of the council in endeavouring to , cope with the critical position which has arisen." The Mayor (Mr. J. W.' J{'Ewaii) l .said.he thought the best answer to this would be a verbal one by deputation. Ho moved that the Prime Minister be again asked to receive a deputation, and that'a representative of the Coal Trade Committee be present. • . This was seconded by Councillor Anderson, who said Mr. Massey could not be in possession of the facts of the case. He thought the council were entitled to -receive more coal than all tho other dealers put together. Many of the householders had to go short because the council did not get supplies. He said ho knew dealers who solil not 3cwt. lots but half-ton and ton- lots.

Councillor Cox thought Mr. Massey hail been misinformed, and Councillor Tovey was of opinion that he was out to support tho dealers as against the council. It should, ho pointed out, he thought, that the council were' trying to reduce tho cost of living so far as coal was concerned,

The motion was put and carried. A circular letter dealing with the coal shortage was received from the 'Westport District Citizens' 'Committee pointing, out the district's lesources and-ask-ing that'the council urge upon the member for the district the advisability of-visiting West-port and becoming personally acquainted with tlicm. The letter' also stated that they had invited M.P.s' on their way to Samoa to call at We.stport for. a similar purpose. The council decided to forward a copy of the letter to' Mr. T. M. Wilford, the member for Hutt. A RAILWAY "CUT?" CHRISTCHURCH DEALERS SUGGEST IT. By Telegraph—Prens Association. _ Cliristchurch, January 20. At a meeting of tho executive of tho North Canterbury Coal Merchants' Association, the following motion was passed and forwarded, to the Minister of Munitions: "In view of the treatment received by the retail coal merchants through the basis of allotment, which places tlicm at the bottom of the list for supplies, and in consequence of the large amount of coal at present in fitotyc by the Railway' Department, the retail coal merchants think Hint under tho present circumstances with feuch a short-, ago of hard coal, all railway services other than essential be cut out in the meantime, so that the proportion of coal which is at present used to run excursion and other unnecessary trains lie allowed for the use of the trade, and so 'that tho general public may be able to obtain a small proportion of hard coal to mix with the lignites which they liavo had to put up with.'"