NO COAL, NO TRAINS.

Otaki Mail, Volume 26, 11 July 1919, Page 4

NO COAL, NO TRAINS.

MB McVILLY’B VIGOROUS , DEFENCE. Wellington, July 9. ] Mr McVilly, General Manager of | Railways, publishes a statement in de- j fence Of the railway restrictions, in | which he reiterates that the restrictions j were entirely due to the coal shortage. He pointß out that tho diminution of [ railway coal Btoeks is due to circumstances over which the Department had no control. He says that since 1914 the Dominion has been taking part in a world war and every industry at tome and abroad had been materially affected. Shipping had been diverted from ordinary peace channels and taken for war purposes. Men in tens of thousands had been withdrawn from industries to servo with the colours. An epidemic of sickness had ravaged the country and had taken its toll in tho ranks of the workers. The output of coal from the local mines had decreased by three-quarters of a million tons per annum. Finally on top of these conditions came tho disastrous strike of sea- j men in Australia, which suddenly cut the Dominion off from supplies, upon | which we were dependent, evon when , the output of our own mines was at its - normal figure.

“It appears to be lost sight of,” says Mr McVilly, “that in 1915 the condition of the coal supplies became so serious as to necessitate tho appointment of a Coal Trade Board, under the direction of the Minister of Munitions. This board assumed full control of the allocation of all supplies of coal in and for the Dominion, and supplies for the Railway Department, in common with other industries, came automatically under its control. The Railway Department has taken care to keep the Board fully apprised, week by week, of the state of the Department's stocks and requirements, and has, in addition,- by tho use of its organisation, and in fact, by every means in its power, assisted the Board to'obtain both coal and shipping from outside tho Dominion. It did this, moreover, with the full knowledge that supplies so arranged would be subject to tho Board's allocation, and might bo, and in fact frequently were, diverted to other industries. It seems clear from the consideration of tho foregoing that the strictures upon the management of the Department for failing to look ahead were based upon incorrect or incomplete information. This applies equally to tho assertion that the management, with the war regulation behind it, had power if it chose to apply it to commandeer both vessels and coal mines in order to obtain its supplies. Tho management had no such power, with or without war egulations.”