THE COAL SHORTAGE

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10693, 14 August 1912, Page 5

THE COAL SHORTAGE

CAUSES AND CURES

I OUTPUT STAGNANT, DEMANIi GROWING. TTHY COAL SHARES ARE NOT BOOMING, *,3 . A miniature e<nl famine has bean ! bauafciug tha inland townp for some \vo-oks p:sb. Goal merchants, dis.appointed of their supplies, have been reused to the extremity of delivering half bags "ivhoro half torts were ordered. Many toes hav© gone to

bed cold because fires went out for

j want of the needful fuel; and empty carts and lugubrious laws have teen conspiciious' down by the coal sidings. ! Tho constant nightmare of furious* householders, demanding supplies, is 1 apt to wear on the nerves of even sn coal-man.'

I A pressman put the question to a J merchant yesterday: "What is the* cause of the shortage?" ( "I can't for tho life of "me tell," he 'said. ---I- . j "Outputs normal?" • i ' J • ;«■ e~* *» T >-••■'"' ' ' • ' i 'bo m, : fan tell, yes." "Any special activities using greater supplies?"

! "No. There's -nothing unusual doing."

. | iNormal output—normal demand. Yet a shortage! Colder ' weather ; mxdejpeople burn more coal probably? j "Wtii', house are not the chief outlet for our coal Supplies, Tiiebiggest consumers are the railways, steamers, freezing works, and other t factories; and there has been nothing Unusual among them." j Can tho mines produce faster? I -"The State mines at Greymouth and: j Wosfpoi't, ■ I understand, are to be> I worked more; but the Westport Company's.! mines are fully manned, and so are those at Blackball. There is, ji strike at Kaitangata. But tho I lignite mines in Southland, including. [the .Nightcap and Wairio, are in full

swing." Taupiri ?

I 'Ah. The Waihi strike affected that mine. The gold mines had beent taking the slack, and when their orders stopped, the slack or dross would: of course, accumulate at the truck sides where the screening is done ami thus obstruct the general work, lessening the output of good ■coal." THE GAMBLE FOR SUPPLIES. *'The transport strike in Britain," said another authority, "affected us. It caused the ocean-going steamers to take in double supplies cf coal atthe end. Another influence wag thoactkwi of the Union S.S. Co. in contracting for the output, of the State coal mines for kx months- ahoad.

On top of this there was an after-

math of gambling for supplies. A number, of firms, through speculativenees or anxiety, stocked up heavily. Some cf the mine owner? permitted them to do this, but others—the Westport Coal Co., in , particular—regulated their deliveries with strict fairness. Their action, go far as it went, ensured all industries swimming or sinking together—gasworks a.nd tramways would str-p ■simultaneously. It was an attitude for which they de-server credit."

Was there ever any real clanger of gasworks stopping? "I am told the Palmerstoiv work?' wore ih-'xn f-> a fortnight's coal." But they h:ve now a three months'" ■■ supply. , INLAND TOWNS TAXED. "Xov.cartJ? coal can be got, I suppose '? "At the scr.ports, ye?. But tber railway freight" penalise the inland towns. The freight per' ton from Wellington to Palmeivston is 10s 6d for New Zealand coal, but 13s 6d for imported. That is a burden which we ought never to be m?de to carry." "Firewood," paid another merchant, "is dearer to iH'e than coal. Therefore it is going out of fashion and coal !<s taking its place." Coal mine shares ought to boom?

"They are not at all buoyant. The trouble is that our coal areas are so "faulty" that one can never be sure of a- coal field lasting well. That will always militate against coal investments being popular."

THE REMEDIES: Then how are you going to remedy this coal shortage? "I'll tell you," said another merchant standing .rear. "Suction gas plants for machinery cf all sorts; oil fuel, .the harnessing of our water power. v The present coal crisis 'will bring tho water power question home to the Government, and I think it will" be taken in hand. It will greatly relieve the coal shortage." Mr E. H. Crabb, a Palmereton merchant, summed up the cause of the shortage in a few figures, showing that the output of the mines i* stationary, although the demand for

coal is growing rapidly. From figures in the "Shipping and Commerce" he showg that the weekly average output from the ports of Westport and Greymouth from January to July, 1911. war- 21,511 tons, from November to August, 1912, 22,426, and from July to August 6th, 1912 (five weeks) 21.726. which is a return to the average of twelve months ago. Ho says, the wonder is that tho shortage hasnot been felt more intensely. It was modified by tin increase/of impo'-ts from Newcaotlo- since ..January, 1911 by 1100 tons. .