Curtin Offers to Resign Over Coal Crisis

Manawatu Times, Volume 69, Issue 56, 9 March 1944, Page 4

Curtin Offers to Resign Over Coal Crisis

GRAVE IMPAIRMENT OF AUSTRALIA’S WAR EFFOBHJ Received Wednesday, 11.15 p.m. CANBERRA, March 8. Widespread unemployment with grave impairment of Australia’s war effort was possible if coal strikes continued, the Prime Minister (Mr. Curtin) told the House of Representatives to-day. He declared that many miners believed thed had an advantage with Labour in office and added: “I warn them not to place too much reliance on that belief, for we place the safety of this country in a much higher category than any other consideration. ’ * Mr. Curtin indicated his willingness to stand down from the Prime Ministership if necessary to ensure that coal was produced. The continued failure to produce the coal required would make him reflect very grievously upon his own personal capacity to be responsible for the Australian war effort, he said. Shouts of "we wont stand for that” and "shame’’ broke out, particularly from the Labour benches, whenever Mr. Curtin mentioned the possibility of his Prime Ministership being involved in the future of coaL The coal situation will be discussed by a full Cabinet. A late message from Sydney states that the Central Council of the Miners’ Federation to-day decided to order striking miners on the South Coast coalfields in New South Wales to return to work on Tuesday. The council also decided to ask the Federal Government to allow any miners called up for military service to return to the mines if they so desired. Another decision was to ask the Government to take over the control of all mines in New South Wales. SERIOUS COAL STRIKE IN WALES Received Wednesday, 9.50 p.m. LONDON, March 7. More than 40,000 Welsh miners and 60 pits are idle to-night with the prospect of the strike spreading over the entire coalfield, nearly half of which is already at a standstill. The National Negotiating Committee, representing the owners and employees, meets in London to-morrow under the chairmanship of the Minister of Fuel (Major Lloyd George) to discuss the deadlock.