COAL PRODUCTION.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 249, 18 September 1940, Page 8

COAL PRODUCTION.

SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE

Per Press Association

NEW PLYMOUTH, Sept. 17. “We have got over the winter without having to ration coal, without haying to curtail essential services and, in fact, without serious inconvenience,” commented the Minister of Mines (Hon P. Webb) to-night in referring to the statistics for the first eight months of the year. Some months ago, Mr Webb pointed out, the country was faced, with the possibility of a serious shortage of coal because of the increased demand of rapidly-expanding secondary industry, the cutting off of supplies to the gasworks from Australia as a result of the strike there, and the increased export of bunkering coal for the Navy and transport purposes. Go far this year New Zealand had imported 50,000 tons less coal and had exported 40.000 tons more, compared with the first eight months of last year. The production this year was already 120,000 tons ahead of the production for the same period of last year, which meant that the output had increased by 155.000 tons since March 31, up to which time, because of flood damage and delays to shipping, the production was 35,000 tons below last year. The improvement was largely due to the increased efforts of the companies and the men, who were working extended hoars at ordinary rates of pay.