MINERS OUT FOR GENERAL COAL STRIKE

Chronicle (Levin), 25 May 1946, Page 2

MINERS OUT FOR GENERAL COAL STRIKE

SYDNEY, March 24. Southcrix district miners are uuani* mously supporting the demand of the, Nortliern* and Western miners for an immediate general coal strike'.' A special' meeting of the Miners' Foderation Ceutral Council in Sydncy next Thursday will consider the demand which is' now goneral among miners througho'ut New . South Wales. Last night the miners' presidcut (Mr. H. Wells) said' that the strike was inevitablo unless the . Federal Governmcnt conceded ihe extra pay elaims of the eontract miners engagod on special duties. • Ju Melbourne, electricity restriclious will opcrate 011 Mondav because of Ihe coal shortage and breakdown at the main | >ower stalion. , Thc Sydncy County Council has adviscd taking steps to constTve coal stocks, but thc Ministcr for Local Govcrnmcut' dccidcd against immediate jiowcr rationings; Thc miners' claims are for avcrage eontract rates to bc'paid to miners taken away from the. coal face for wheeling, clipping ainl shift work, and an iuerease of 7s 6d per day for, ex])erieneed miners Iraining iuexpcrieiicod men. OfticiaJ ligures reve.al that, if the production rate is not st.epped up, the coal producofJ in New South AVales this year will be 1,.' 100, nnO tons below requiremcnts. Currenl production is barely meeting Ihe dcmands for industry, iransport and power uiidertakiugs. The mininium amounl of coal necde.d this vear is 11,500,000 tons, but in the first fou'r nionths on.lv .'1,-100,000 tons has 1 >octi produced. During tho war, tho vield reaelied 11,000,000 tons pcr vear. A stop-work meeting at Cessnock on Mondav will put large collieries with a dailv production of 13,000 tons out of action.