CONTROLLING THE MINES

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 201, 14 May 1918, Page 5

CONTROLLING THE MINES

WHAT BRITAIN HAS DONE THE COAL CONTROLLER AT WORK Early in 1917 the coal mines of the United Kingdom came under tho control of the State. .The mines at the present time are worked by a. Coal Controller, who has the assistance of an Advisory Board containing seven representatives of tho coal owners and seven officials of the Miners' Federation. Ibis ! board meets about twice a month, and ! it has dealt successfully with such prob- ! lems as recruiting, labour disputes, miu- | era , holidays, tho transfer of workers, i short time and absenteeism, and 'price ! lista. Tha Coal Controller's organisation represents State industrialism on an enormous scale, and its operations are going to have an important influence on the future of industrial enterprise in the United Kingdom. The appointment of the British Coal Controller, with power to tako over tho coal-fields, was due to pressure of necessity. Private ownership did not provide the centralised control required in time of war. It could not prevent strikes and stoppages, it could not handle tho manpower problem effectively, and it could not satisfy tho nation that nnduo profits wore not lwing made in tho timo of national stress. Matters wero brought to a crisis by strikes on tho Welsh coalfields Lite in 1916. The Welsh fields wero taken over in December, 1910, and within three months all the coalfields in tho United Kingdom wero under Hie ■ control of the . Coal Controller, who had power to direct production, distribution, prices, and consumption. An agreement between the Controller and tho Mining Association with respect to tho compensation to be paid to coal owners was signed in July last. The owners surrendered to the State M per cent, oi' any profits in excess of the "profits standard" (the average profits of the best two out of threo yonrs lwfore the war or thn best four out of fix); the Controller, on the other hand, guaranteed tho pre-war profits standard subject to a reduction where tho output was reduced. I'he agreement contained provision to meet caßes of hardship. The. Coal Controller hns defined mb duties as follow i—

(1) To control tlio whole production nnd (lish'ibutioa of coal in the national interest, and (2) To remove the chief cause pi laliour unrest by icnking it possible for tlie men to feel that they weiu

working for the '(immunity, and not.

in order to earn excessive profits lor ttio coal omiers.

"Experience since the coa: mines were taken over;" says 'ho "Board of Trade Journal," "justifies the assertion tlrat Lho miners now realise they are workin? for tho country, rather tha,n for the private profit of their employers. There has be6n a marked decrease in industrial unrest, and a great willingness lo regard work in the mines as war service of the first importance. The chief Labour event since control was estalv lish«l was tho demand of tho Miners 1 Federation for a 25 per cent, increase iu wages in order to meet tho increaseu cost of living. This demand was presented on August 2S, 1917, and as a result of subsequent negotiations the miners finally accepted increase? of 9s. (and ■is.. 6d. in the case of boys) a week—that is to say, Is. 6d. a day. for each day un which a man works or is ready and ablo to work, and Od. a day for boys under 16 years of age. A feature of tho arrangement is that tho increases of Is. 6.1 (or 9d.) a daj are paid even when the pit is idlo for lack of trade—for example, in tho exporting districts—and this is done in o-der to give some relief to men in th& export districts who are suffering from the irregular working of the pits, as the result of shipping lossps. Tho irregularity is no fault of thriri ->r of thn eoal owners.

"By this arrangement with the miners tho Controller was ablo to convey a demand for a percentage increase into tho concession of a flat rate. An advance on a percentago basis would have benelited chiefly men who were getting regular work and who were previously gotting tho highest wages. Tho war wage, as it is culled, dates back to September 17, 1817. All inevitable consequenco has been an increase in tho pithead price of coal of 2s. fid. a ton. The settlement has been extended by tho Ministry of Munitions to workers in many cognate ir.dustries. "One of tho most difficult problems before the Controller has been to mnko labour more mobile and to effect tho necessary transference. Various measures have been taken to solve the difficulties which have arisen. In .order to deal with the whole question systematically the Controller placed before the Miners' Federation of Great Britain a proposal for the establishment of mobility bureaux, to be! worked by tho Miners' Federation and their district associations. Tho purpose of tho bureaux was to transfer miners from coal mines which were not working full time to other ceal, fireclay, or ganister mines whoro their labour was required. The federation have now accopted tho proposal, and district mobility bureaux arc being set up. Tho Controller is also collaborating with other Departments, such as tho Ministries of Munitions and of National Service, in order to transfer surplus mjr.ing labour into other occupations, such as timber-felling, iron-stone and iron-ore mining, tho shipyards, etc" Tho work of tho Coal Controller lias covered distribution, tho economising of transport, the control of consumption, and the regulation of prices. There is no doubt that the system generally has operated successfully, and that tho .main objects have been attained. Production nr,d distribution have been, adjusted to tho altered conditions arising out of tho <ar, and cssontial supplies have been assured. A much better spirit prevails in the British coal industry than was the easo when the Coal Controller took ohargo, and difficulties that appeared insuperablo have been overcome. It seems to be taken for granted by all parties that somo measure of State supervision of tho coal trade, will be) maintained after the war.