Coalminers Have Australia By the Throat

Chronicle (Levin), 4 September 1948, Page 5

Coalminers Have Australia By the Throat

Press Association )

(Per

A l* 'K I.AX I). Sept. 3. "Trade relntiuiisliip betweei) An> tr;iOa :i ii 1 Xew Zeakdid is very impurtaitt.. We.liave lo grow in strtMig! I? ir he Mibiiierucd in wcakness, ' said Sii Kcil Ii M nniin-li. Icading Aastralian iii'W sp'ijicr propriet or oi' AI elhourae, I wlio orrivcd in Auckland l»y ilyiugbo'i'. on a lcti-day-F \ isit lo tlie Dominioji. Xtuv Zealand 's cxcliunge adjustiuem u i ea ii 1 a lt'iii|>orai'y blow to trade, but there was now in Australia mueh more inlerest than in tlie past in developmg eeoiioinie rtdalious between tlie tW" eouiil i ies. The Austraiian Goveriiuicnl was I'ully alive to tliat and the mere thoiiglitt ul ineieliaats were glad .to take opport iuiit ies for inereasing trade. Mr Keith said the exchange ad justnient slioubl not deter the couiitriej'rous any toi ward inoking seheine beeause the Austraiian pound was the niosi i.ndervaluetl eurreney in tlie world today, and it had lo niove 111 reasonable rel.i1 ionship to the Xew Zealand ponnd. The Austraiian pouud had been inaiutai»"d at iis present level only I'o politi'uil reasons, he eontiiiued. It.wa.a very tliorny ]»olitieal tpiestion. The ajipreeiat ion oi' eurreiieies woti'ld delinitely ha\e an ant i-inliat ionarv etTeet. *'ll is (juite striking that tlie ninjoritv of people, whether l.ubour o/ Liber-ik realise t hui the -Kl-hour week iias been ti niislake," Sir Keith said Tliat was boine out by the twoto-oii1 \ote in a reeent tiallup poll. There hau been a lessen i ng of prodnetion since the ini roduelion of the 10-hour week, an ! nltlnni^li theie weie very tew strike.1 he simrlages were due general l.v ti under prod liet ion. The great body tn Austraiian e'.nployers and (piite a nu-i !>er of Labour leaders woubl Ii ko tn see ineentive jiaynients iuade :is an ansuer to ihe siiortage of jiroduetion.' ' "The eoal miiiers have the nation by ihe lliroat." he said. "They are tat iotiiiig us to wliat they niaintain ni'- reasonable ligures. We aie desperat el v sliort of eoal, and a lot of otu short.ages of steel, iron, building n aterials and eenient is due just to lael; of eoal." All that was apart from the !i-eoin fort eaused in [irivate hoines by ihe rationing of eleetrie ]iower and The greatest inlerest was being -1'invii in Australia about the Royal tour next year, and it would be a ])ro noa neeil sueeess, s.iid Sir Keith. Tlie King and (t)neeu had agreed to a eon>ii!erable^ aniount of eountry travellbig i. nd a hiurdsoiue Royal train w.'is now oi ing prepared as their .Ma.jesties. would i'f li\ing a gooil deal in tlie train > : "« ii n_ their eountry tours. .Most lirnr'i! 'didbourue ueie starting to inake »)!;.ns for deeoraling their jiremises and 1 ai.v liotels were alreadv booked out. There would be eonsiderable expendi"ure of publie inoney in (ronneetion with 1 i 1 1 ■ tour and there had been tio publie) oiiieet ions tnade to that.