COAL SHORTAGE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 4 February 1941, Page 4

COAL SHORTAGE

RESTRICTED POWER SUPPLY IN PROSPECT STATEMENT IN AUCKLAND. DEPUTATION TO INTERVIEW MINISTER OF MIXES. .By Telegraph—Press Association. 1 AUCKLAND, February 3. Restrictions on the use of electricity in the North Island in the next few months are probable should it bet found impossible to get sut'.iciem coal: for coal-consuming power plants.which will be required to operate at full pressure to assist in maintaining! the supply right through next winter. The output at Arapuni will be insufll-l cient. and it was stated two months; ago by Mr R. H. Bartley, general tnan-i ager of the Auckland Electric Power, Board, that plants running on coal; would have to make up the deficiency.! The subject was brought up at aj meeting of the .Auckland Electric] Power Board today. The chairman/ Mr S. J. Harbuit. said supplies were! fast falling. Men were not working] a 40-hour week, and there was not the; same output fcr each man as formerly.] The board had communicated with the! Fewer Board’s .Association, which had got in touch with all its members, a deputation of whom would meet the ?.!inister of Mines. Mr Webb, next Tucsdav or Wednesday.

“We want io make it perfectly clear that this is not a question of the Auckland board’s shortage- only; it is the whole- of the North Island supply." added Mr Harbuit. The Auckland board was doing all that was possible, and Mr Bartley had been asked to make inquiries about the supply of coal from the South Island. "If no satisfaction is received after the meeting next week, we will have to make a public statement and put ourselves on side with our consumers. We are 35.000 tons short on our dumps, and it is that factor we want to pul

right," said Mr Bartley, who explained that the deficiency would represent the amount of the restriction imposed.