IDLE MINES

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 81, 2 October 1931, Page 8

IDLE MINES

THE COAL INDUSTRY

GOVERNMENT- ASKED TO

ACT

The plight of the coal mining industry was referred to by the Leader of the Opposition (Mr. H.E. Holland) in the House of Eepresentatives to-day.

Mr. Holland said that either to-day or to-morrow the Dobsori mine would be practically closing down, and about 280 men would be thrown into the ranks of the unemployed. One company had lost heavily on/ its coal orders, and had come to the conclusion' that. it would have to dispense with' 200 out of 280 men. The miners.quite rightly took up the. attitude, that the work should be rationed, but the company hacl. refused this request, and Mr.' Holland asked what' attitude the • Government was going to' take up in the matter. In view of the, situation which had developed it was the duty of the Government to take a hand, , as there was danger of the men being thrown on to the books of the Unemployment Board. At Millerton, where there was a population of 2000, the miners had had only three days' work in the last six weeks, and he had been informed that they had been given' only one opportunity to do relief work. At Blackball the company had practically closed down. There was only a little patflsh being worked there, under what was. really the tribute system. It was true that the Government arranged for an organised system of production and distribution of coal. There was np reason for any importation of coal into the Dominion. At Hikurangi the mine was threatened with flooding from Wilson's colliery, and if this came about the town of Hikurangi would be ruined.