CEMENT SUPPLIES.

Taranaki Daily News, 16 August 1920, Page 6

CEMENT SUPPLIES.

THEIR DISTRIBUTION, STATEMENT TOR COMMITTEE. In order to remove any misapprehension regarding the present position in respect to supplies of cement, Mr. P. E. Stainton, secretary of the Taranaki Cement Distributing Committee, acting on behalf of the Board of Trade, makes the following statement:— , Since the arrival of the Ngatoro shipearly in June there have been practically no cement supplies received in the province, the consequence being that building operations have been held up in all directions. The committee has been flooded with applications for cement, which there is no immediate prospect of supplying. The committee has been in conference for two days allocating a small shipment of 910 tons, now due by the Ngakutu. This quantity has to be distributed as far south as Tlawera. When it is realised that applications, ranging from one bag to tM) tons, alone number over a thousand, aggregating many thousands of tons, practically alb being classed as urgent work, it will be readily understood that the work of the committee in allocating this small shipment on an equitable basis has been no light task. During the sitting of the committee advice was received that, owing to the stormy weather at Portland, there was a possibility of the ship sailing without her full 'load arid of some ports being cut out altogether. The committee immediately made urgent representations to the Board of Trade, and has now received an'assurance that the porfton allocated to Taranaki will be shipped, namely, MA tons for general distribution and 100 tons for public works. The committee met with considerable difficulty on account of orders being duplicated by applicants through various agMits; these applications were in every instance rejected without further consideration.