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Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17122, 18 April 1921, Page 6

It will bo of interest at this juncture to state the positions taken up by the British coal-owners and the Miners' Federation in the present dispute, as outlined in a Londonrpaperof February "25th. • - .• •

.The coal-owners, ask that the trade will become • decontrolled 'from March Slst; that the wages of the men cmplbyed in the industry be controlled by

District Conciliation Boards as up to August, 1914; that each Board separately fix a standard wage for the underground workers on a percentage or piece-work basis. The Miners' Federation wage proposals are: The complete unification of the industry, with a national settlement of wages; a national wages board, constituted of owners and men, to fix tho standard wage to be paid to each grade of workmen, and to determine all advances or reductions; the continuance of control and the pool, so that collieries which arc worked, at a. loss may bo subsidised from the income of the' industry, and thus make production and wages earned at individual collieries independent of their economic position; the new wage standard to be on the flat rate principle, and all future wage changes to be made on tho vamo principle. As "will be seen, the points of difference were vital. The only concession that has marked the' negotiations was the offer of the Government of a small subsidy to be given for a time to prevent too rapid «. decline in the rate of wages. On the other points, it stood absolutely firm.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, as indicated by a recent cable message, repeated on his arrival at Home some of tho criticisms of Australian matters to which he gave such frank expression before leaving the Comnftrawealth. Among tho public services which he as very bad was the telephone service, especially in Sydney. Some support is given to the visitor's views on this point by tho report of the Federal Economics Commission dealing largely with the Administration of the Postal Department. In its progress report the Commission had commented somewhat unfavourably on' the 'high cost of this Department in one or two States, whereupon the then PostmasterGeneral defended his administration by asserting that he had effected savings of £40Q,000 "by exercising economy through knocking off waste and laying down a better system;" To. this tho Commission in its latest report makes this obvious retort that such large savings could not haye been made in a department that was well managed.

The present report dwells on the ab.- j sence of co-ordination between, the Finance and Executive Departments of the Government, and.expresses the.belief that to this is due the loss on the Postal Department. The position in regard to telephone developments, especially in Sydney, it is pointed, out f is very grave. "Most of the equip- , went is obsolete, rfnd expansion is only | possible by expensive temporary expe-j dients and patchwork. Only a monopoly could have existed so long with such rampfyackle methods." Both the lines and the clerical "staff' were over-' manned, the arrangements _ generally were wasteful, and senior meohanics were engaged on work which should liave been tarried out .by boys or girls. Aij a sample of the of thp Department the Commission. cited tho case of an enquiry into the mail branch.' It was spread, over fire month?, producedl a report of ISO pages, with 250 pages of evidence, at a cost- of £2OOO, anil the net result was that two officer's were reprimanded, and another was, fined £5. Tlie'fact that, as cabled the other day, 11,000 people are waiting for-telephones in Sydney is no doubt partly attributable to the shortage of instruments and material arising from the war, but the would-be subscribers will not be difficult to convince that part, at least, of tho delay is due to mismanagement and wasteful administration. '

' A cable message' last week mentioned tljat the Arbitration Court at Brisbane liad refused to allow the famous Mount Morgan Goldmining Company to withdraw its request for the cancellation, of • existing awards, and for the substitution of a consolidated award. This appeal, which was made in December last, f.vas hased on the fact that in consequence of the serious fall in the prices, of copper and gold the company would not be able to coatinue o|>erations without se'riolis loss,' even' if the Oourt granted, the desired relief. The present position is that mine, wlych employs a large number of men, is closed indefinitely, and the company have stated plainly that wages and salaries must beV reduced 20 per cent, if'the works are to be re-started. In an address at a conference with the employees a few. weeks ago - , the general manager of tho copipany pointed out that the New York quotation for elets trolytio copper was £55. At Mount Morgan it cost £163 per ton, to win p tori of copper. The gold in ' it wa,s worth about £75, leaving £BB as the cost of producing the copper at the mine. At this rate the company was losing pome £2300 a week. The manager idded that if metal prides improved there could be another conference to deal with the situation. According to the latest news, the Court has granted the miners' application for the production of the company's booka, «o that the Court, might verify the accuracy of the 'manager'B statements. But whatever the result of the investigation may be, the miners cannot force the shareholders to continue losing money. .