INCREASE IN COAL PRODUCTION

Southland Times, Issue 24234, 18 September 1940, Page 6

INCREASE IN COAL PRODUCTION

NEW ZEALAND FIGURES

(United Press Association) NEW PLYMOUTH, September 17.

“We have come through the winter without -having to ration coal, without having to curtail essential services and, in fact, without serious inconvenience,” commented the Minister of Mines, the Hon. P.. C. Webb, tonight referring to statistics for the first eight months of the year. Some months ago he pointed out that the country was faced with the possibility of a serious shortage of coal because of the increased demand of the rapidly expanding secondary industry, the cutting off of supplies to gas works from Australia as a restilt of the strike there and the increased export of bunkering coal for the Navy and transport purposes, said Mr Webb. So far this year New Zealand had imported 50,000 tons less coal and had exported 4000 tons more compared with the first eight months of last year. 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 that time, because of flood damage and storm delays to shipping, production was 35,000 tons below that of last year. The improvement was largely due to the increased efforts of the companies and the men, who were working extended hours at ordinary rates of pay. "