SUPPLY OF CEMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 January 1920, Page 4

SUPPLY OF CEMENT.

SHORTAGE IN NEW PLYMOUTH. DISTRIBUTION OF AVAILABLE SUPPLIES. In consequence of the shortage in the supplies of cement in New Plymouth, which was causing anxiety to builders, on Thursday last the Mayor of New Plymouth (Mr. Jas. Clarke) telegraphed to the Prime Minister as follows: •'Pact no .cement available New Plymouth causing gravest anxiety; building trades will lmve to close, down causing considerable unemployment; Council's hydro-electric works held up for cement, must be completed this summer, otherwise damage feared winter floods. Reported considerable supplies Auckland, and that company will not accept orders for shipment outside that district.' Cun you do anything ensure fair distribution available sugolies." To this. Mr. Massey repucd that he had arranged for the Board of Trade to meet representatives of the various t'cmant companies in Wellington today, and it was hoped the eciii'erenet would result in an arrangement for an .'ipiitable distribution of supplies.

ACUTE, AND LIKELY TO REMAIN SO.

There is at present no proapjet of the demand for cement beivg fully met for months to come. Ordinarily, if nil the nulls in the country won' kept, goiag at thoir full capacity there would be cement, and to spare for all, hut. owing to every company having been starved for coal the output has decreased. alarmingly, as the orders have piled up. In the ordinary course of business onu Auckland company produced sufficient cement for the whole of that district, and competed in the Wellington district with another company. Now the Auckland company is not able to produce enough for Auckland alone, owing to the coal famine, so that»the Kelson works are looked to for cement for the whole of the lower lmlf of the North Island, up to New Plymouth on the one coast, and Napier on the other, whilst, owing I to .similar trouble at the Otago works, Canterbury is endeavouring to draw on Wellington for supplies. The position'respecting the Nelson company is that they have during the past few days been getting a little more coal, and are working on it, but if they had a three months' jsupply of coal in hand they could not meet the altogether abnormal demand made upon the output, so that it is very evident that building will be delayed in manv instances for some months to come. A rough .rationing -system was forced upon the company, which worked out that a person or firm ordering ten tons was allotted about five bags, when the cement came to hand. A small shipment is expected to arrive from the works early next week, but. even that will be as a drop of water in a bucket, I