Australia On Brink Of Disastrous Hold-up

Chronicle (Levin), 18 June 1949, Page 5

Australia On Brink Of Disastrous Hold-up

(N.Z.P.A.-

—Reuter. \

Copyriaht)

Received Fridav, 9 . 3 ( ' p.m. SYDNE? Jane 17. Onlv intervention by the authoritie could now avert a general coal strik on June 27 said the general secretar of the Miners' Federation, Mr. G. W Grant. Statements by him and th president, "Mr. I. Williams are believed however, to indicate that interventio' by the State and Federal Governmenl will avoid a showdown. In the House of Representatives a Canberra today, the Attornev-Genera (Dr. F.vatt) said that the Governmen and Crown Law authorities were r close contaet with the authorities o the State and with the Coal Industr Tribunal. He added that the orde made by the tribunal against yeste' day's stopwork meetings had been oi tained at the instanee of the coal cor panies. Information received toda was that certain action was eontem plated by the companies to olitain • further order. The Joint Coal Board which cnritro1 the distribution of coal produced i New Routh Wales, to-night announce the most drastic coal rationing ever in posed in Australia. This results froi the miners' decision to hold a geneistrike from June 27 unless their clai !*« are satisfied. Foal s"Tml!r»s for rail nnd t.ram se» vices, electricity and gas utilities \vi be halved from midnight. to-morro i and supplies to general industry wil be reduced bv 75 per cent. The stee industry which has been exempt fron this order must, however, gradually re tl'ice its consumption of coal from 40, > 000 tons a week to 3000 tons.