The Coalmines Dispute

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16260, 10 July 1918, Page 6

The Coalmines Dispute

The coalminers iiave so frequently caused trouble in the mines, and are so persistent in quarrelling with the owners,' that the public has a better general understanding of the disputes that arise in this important sphere of industry than it has of most other industrial quarrels. The present dispute, however, is likely to be misunderstood through the part that the Government are taking. There has boon no Ministerial pronouncement from which the public can make any deductions as to the merits of the case. On that point Ministers are silent, although the merits of the case are quite clear; and it would not be surprising if some people concluded from their silence that the dispute is one in which there is as much to be said on one side as on the other. The demand of the miners for a conference, with a view to pressing their desire for higher pay, is so thoroughly unjustifiable that the owners .could hardly be blamed if they had decided to take no steps whatever. In the first place the miners are working under industrial agreements recently entered into, and with a considerable period of currency yet to elapse. In the second place' the coalminer who works full time earns wages very much greater than can be earned by the average unionist in other trades. As contract workers, miners are earning from 17s to 25s a day, and one result of this is that they have no strong incentive to wort as regularly and continuously as other people do. Actually, they can do very

well even if they go slow. The high

wages and wasted time combine to produce a coal shortage and high prices, so that in the end the public has to pay for the vagaries of the miners. The rates of pay being what they are, the owners, if they paid higher rates, would

be justified in passing the increase on

to the public, but they have no desire to do this. Not wishing, however, to leave undone anything that can reasonably bo done to end the trouble, tho

mine-owners have placed certain propo-

sitions before the Government for submission to tho men's representatives. In order to encourage more constant at-

tendance at work, tho Coalminers' Association resolved last week in favour of adopting a bonus system on condition of full time being worked. The Associa-

tion also proposed that a system of contract trucking should bo introduced, undor which the truckers could considerably increase their earnings. What tho owners say in effect is that the miners, although at present paid very high wages, can further increase ■ their earnings, and render a service to tho community, by working lip to their capacity—in other words, that if they will only work as steadily and continuously as other people do, they will do oven better than they are doing at present. The Association's offer lias not so far been accepted by tho men's representatives, but if it- is not accepted we do not seo what more tho ownors can be oxpected to do. The men are very much under the influonc© of leaders who are less concerned about securing fair play all round than about maintaining disturbed conditions, and these loaders have always opposed tho principle of tho bonus system, since it runs counter to the favourite fallacies of tho syndicalist agitator. One of these fallacies is that a man is a traitor to unionism if he can earn more than his mate. Another is that industry is war, and that the workers stand to gain by "going slow'' and cutting down output and profits. While thoy are waiting for the ending of the dispute, the public can with advantage pay attention to the main fact, which is, that despite good conditions and a very high rate of pay, the miners are willing to cause unrest and at least threaten dislocation in the coal trade at a tirno when overybody should be working at his best. We hope that the Government will not be so unwiso as to take tlxe mon's part either directly or .indirectly.