BRITISH COAL BILL

Hokitika Guardian, 6 February 1930, Page 6

BRITISH COAL BILL

LIBERALS’ SUPPORT

(British Official Wireless.) >

RUGBY, Feb. 4. i The Government have come to an arrangement with the Liberal Party, whereby they have agreed to postpone the consideration of Part One of the Coal Mines Bifl, which deals with the marketing of coal, until the other sections of the Bill have been disposed of. It is in regard to the marketing proposals that there is opposition, while on the other sections, dealing with the hours of work, a National Wages Board, and amalgamations of mines, there is substantial agreement on the Government and the Liberal benches. The, Government rely upon the Liberals’ support to defeat the Conservative opposition to the bill. ; Mr Graham, the President of the Board of Trade, announced this arrangement when the House of Commons went into committee on the Bill today. He said that the Government attached the very greatest importance to Part One of the Bill, and they did not yield one inch of it in its present form.

One of the advantages of the postponement, however, would be that they could direct their minds to a farther analysis of the proposals, and do their best to reach an agreement with the Liberal views. The Conservatives opposed the procedure, which, however, was adopted.