SUPPLY OF COAL

Evening Post, Volume XCVIII, Issue 40, 16 August 1919, Page 13

SUPPLY OF COAL

TO THE BDITOB. Sir,—lt is unfortnnate for householders of the city of Wellington there is no public body "or public-spirited man''to champion the needs of the community, and the men who might be expected to do something come along blithely with | negative arguments 'suitable only to a people well schooled to resignation. There have been very meagre press references to the coal deal in Christchurch city, and the complete history would, I am sure, be highly instructive and entertaining to fellow-citizens here. The statements made by the Mayor of Wellington to your reporter, yesterday imply that we are to wait on the Government for relief in our coal difficulty in the same way as the Australian village waited on the Government there to subsidise the village pump. Now, Sir, what can be against this council following the lead of Christchurch' in procuring coal from Westland?—for, I understand, the Southern Mayor went to and made his coal deal with Ree'fton, whence it is carted to ships and conveyed past Wellington to Lyttelton. Lignite, who said it? However, good coal was reduced from 6s 6d per sack to 4s 6d, and please tell me what householder objects to a reduction like that? The casting vote of Dr. Thacker was strong for the people. It now costs me 4s 6d per cwt. for very poor coal, and 2s 9d for a bag which appears to be reaching the handy proportions of a portmanteau. When it is a question of shipping, our spokesmen hit hard on the "Suprema a. Situ" drum. Why not thump it now?—l am, etc., ' '■ . ISLAND BAY. '15th August* (