THE COAL MINES

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 263, 2 August 1919, Page 8

THE COAL MINES

EXPLANATION BY Mil. HOLLAND.' '-"■ Speaking to a Press representative yesterday, Mr. H. B. Holland, M.P., declared that tho statement made by the acting-chairman of tho Board of Trado '(Mr. VV. G. M'Donald), in.the course of Dbis reply to the Woolstom Borough Coun- ' oil, to.the effect that he' (Mr. Holland) ■had "suggested that tho other industries pf tho country should bo taxed to pro,vida the funds" to purchase the pri-nvately-owned coal mines, was a most esJtraordinkry misrepresentation, which \oould only bo explained as the outcomo •pi an. amazing carelessness. I ."Immediately following . tho deputation whioh. conveyed to Sir' James Allen 'ihe unanimous decisions of the two Lablour Conferences in condemnation of the sohenie," said Mr. Holland, "the aoting-chairman furnished the Press with 0 criticism of the conferences'' attitude, •bnd to this criticism I replied on July n&. Nowhere in my speech to tho Minister, nor yet in my reply to the adting-.'-chairman of the board, can there'bo found;any suggestion that 'the other industries of the country should be taxed to provide tho funds." On tho contrary, ! after advocating that the State should itake over the mines that are worth while, and that the industry should '.bo controlled by a board on which the miners would be adequately represented, 1 pointed out that "the need to bor.ro* money for tho purchase of the mines disappears before tho fact that New Zealand bad at tho end'of last financial year a surplus of I furnished figures showing that probably not more than 'would bo needed to purchase such mines as have -a reasonable length of lifo, and concluded: 'It would siiTfily be absurd to talk about the need to borrow money at high rates of interest with fifteen times tho amount ■required in the Governments coffers.' I also furnished figures in connection with the State mines showing bow UTOfitabln an investment State coal mining had proved, despite the chcrees which had been loaded up agnin«t tho State minps in. favour of tho Railway Department, the heavy inWest charees. and other handicaps. How Mr. M'Donald found it possible t« road into my statement tlio suggestion that 'the other industries of +i. P /.nunfri- phould bf> taxed to provide tho funds' is for him to explain.""