STRIKES AND OUTPUT

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 11, 8 October 1943, Page 5

STRIKES AND OUTPUT

Australian Coalminers

CANBERRA, October. 7. His faith that Australia's coalminers will produce the coal urgently needed has been expressed by the Prime Minister, Mr. Curtin. He has agreed to the miners having nine days’ holiday over the Christmas-New Year period. However, lie admitted in the House.of Representatives that because of increased stoppages Australian coal production was'less in the last three months than in the corresponding period of 1942. An Opposition member claimed that there had been more than 100 stoppages in New South XX’ales mini's during a period of five weeks recently, and that thev had resulted in the loss of about TOO.OOO tons of coal output. Mr. Curtin lanswered by pointing out that the present Australian coal production was a record.

Earlier. Mr. Curtin had told coalminer representatives that he would have taken skilled men from the army and put them into the mines long ago if he had been able to find enough skilled meh. He said that the workers who caused unnecessary stoppages were “scabbing on their males.” The miners will submit a number of suggestions for ineretising their output to a Cabinet sub-committee appointed to investigate the Commonwealth’s coal position. The “Sydney Morning Herald” today refers editorially to the coal situation as “intolerable.” and says that a serious coal, famine is looming daily closer. The paper says that the outcome of Mr. Curtin’s conference with the miners is disappointing. and adds: “Australia is being let down every day by men who appear t< lie convinced that they are above the law and can defy it with impunity.”