GOAL DIFFICULTY

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 10298, 5 June 1919, Page 6

GOAL DIFFICULTY

COYERNMENT INTERVENES ..", A [ iMINiSTERIAL STATEMENT. " The Hon. A. M. Myers, Minister/in' charge of coal distribution, stated yesterday that, acting on the samo lines as he did last winter, ho had gone into the question as to whether any saving in roa! consumption couid bo effected by % restricting public services in thoso .j-.rns dependent on coal for power and ~<ht production. He had, therefore,. Lift'irwl v,-ith the engineer lo the -.-wlington O&s Company and. the act••":4>m.iju:iacr <>f the tramway and lighfc~~Q d't-piirimciits of tho Wellington City .. "nic-il, ivho had reported to him as ii.ill.oivs: — ' vv'i.h reference to your suggestion that we should give consideration to .1.1 v Methods whereby the amount of | coal consumed in the supply of electricity and gas in Wellington and sub- j urbs could bo reduced, wu beg to stato thui tho various points mentioned during our recent interview have received our attention. In our opinion, tho only practical method of eltectiug any material reduction 111 coal consumption would bo to take tho drastic step of completely cutting off tho supply of these services toi certain period* of the dav This should bo avoided at all cost's, as it would seriously disorgamso the industrial life of the ci-y and cause. great, inconvenience to essential pub no services- such as hospitals .and similar institutions. Both tho electricity™ department and the Gas Company,Jw'ftul, each over 10,000 consumers who use the supplies for lighting, industrial, heatino or cooking purposes.. Conseqrentlv, any curtailment of these services would seriously affect tho whole community. In connection -with tno suwges.don that shop illumination might bo restricted, there, is the serious difliculty of attempting to distinguish between essential lighting and lllumina- ; tions for advertising purposes; and even it such advertising could, be prohibited, tho saving would be very small, seem!; that the lighting is generally confined to one night in each week. The cuttin" off of illuminated signs would also result' in-no material saving, is tney are invariably used-at times when.'-ho, electric generators are running below their full capacity and efficiency. We would take this opportunity or pointing out that the most economical method -oFusiffiTc-oal for otyw««is by means of the generation of electricity, or by carbonisation in gasworks, in large units. In this eonnec-; tioir it should be remembered .that in seeking to- conserve the, coal supplies in, England during the war period the Coal Controller enforced tins principle. Unfortunately, the electric lighting department is unable to extend this principle at present on account of the station plant being overloaded, and it has been found necessary in the case of this department to curtail the use of heating appliances during the time of the peak loading, which, ; i3, from 4 pan. to 7 p.m. . So'far.'a's'tho tramway systenMS'ctm* • cerned, any restrictions which 'might be introduced with a view to reducing the fuel consumption would cause considerable inconvenienee for the travelling public. The 4.30 p.m. clos- • ing, to tho extent at present earned 'out, has proved beneficial; but any further extension of this system will J tend to an overlapping of the car-load j with the private power load, and would > extend the daily period v during which the machinery at tKe tramway power-"nou-o would be running at an over- | toad. , ....... ...' . L The foregoing report is signed by i Messrs Archibald Dougall (engineer, j Wellington Gas Company), Georgo [ Lauchlan (acting-general manager, lighting department), and M. Cablo (acting-general manager, tramway partment).' " '"' ' "' ""' "-'-■• Mr Myers stated that this report was borne out by reports he had received in the same connection from other centres, and it was obvious, therefore, that no material saving could be effected in this direction without seriously disorganising public services and * essential industries, and causing extreme inconvenience to tho public generally. Of course, if the ■coal stock situation necessitated it, drastic steps would have to be taken to cope with same.

DOMESTIC SUPPLIES

In,order to enable coal 'trade" com-"' - mittaes to ..have; closer control "over supplies to householders and io socuro equnablo distribution, amended regulations have been approT'ed by Cabitfet' and gazetted, providing" tha£ v *n'6t m'BrcT ' than lOcwt. shall be delivered to anyone porson at any one time, and not more than one ton in any one period of twenty-eight days, in placo of one ton and two tons respectively as previously provided. Power is also provided in this regulation for the Minister in'charge by notice in tho "Gazette" to declare that in any area or areas specified, no coal shall be delivered without a. permit issued by the coal trade committee controlling the area concerned. This latter regulation is meantime being brought into operation in Wellington as from Monday next, tho 9th instant, and, it is hoped, will enaible the Wellington Coal Trade Committee to exercise stricter control over distribution, especially in regard to domestic supplies.