SHORTAGE OF COAL TRUCKS

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10675, 3 July 1912, Page 5

SHORTAGE OF COAL TRUCKS

COMMUNICATION FROM MINISTER OF RAILWAYS.

In reply to a- communication frori the MatetcirSfcon Borough Cbuncil in 'reference to the existing difficulty in obtaining waggons .'for ccal traffic for "the' Borough Gasworks, the Minister of Railways has wntteitu to the Co ",- cil ae follows:—'"In reference to your 'letter of 2.5 th May, I have the hoivi k to inform you that owing to the fact 'that several vessels frequently arrive at Wdlington with lairge cargoes of coal almost simultaneously, it ia often 1 difficult to .meet 'the requirements of ['them all. At other times the Dep-irt-ment-'s waiggcinis are lying'idle in larg'numbers, wanting the arrival (.;. steamems, and this has he'Sii. the c,Y.?e within the last week. So far as the Wostporb Coal Company is concerned, they have at times objected to u-'iug bogie .waggons- when such werfe available, but as far as practicable evo.;v effort has been unade to meet their require meaits. I would point cut, h .w----ever, that one of the difficulties in regard to m:A supplies at the. presaii't' j time is the .extraordinacy demand for coal which has'existed scnee the h- | ginning of the prewnit- year, o.nd i which the Cdmpainies themselves ha/c----i been unable to meet, -owing to circumstances of which vou aireuio doubt aware.— ARTHUR M. MYERS."