FORCES TO LOSE 300 MINERS

Southland Times, Issue 24873, 13 October 1942, Page 4

FORCES TO LOSE 300 MINERS

Effort To Increase Production (P.A.) AUCKLAND, October 12. A statement that the War Cabinet had decided to release 300 miners from the armed forces to assist in raising the Dominion’s coal production was made by the Minister of Mines, the Hon. P. C. Webb, tonight. The great need for further accommodation for miners was stressed by Mr Webb, who said it would not be possible to release miners from the forces until homes were available for them. “The need for additional miners’ homes in the Waikato is very urgent,” said Mr Webb. “Arrangements have been made for the construction of 40 miners’ houses in the Huntly district, 20 at Mangapehi and 20 at Tatu, and a start with the programme was made a few weeks ago. The housing activity at present being undertaken in Huntly is only a start, and the programme will be continued. It is expected that when the present houses • are completed another 40 will be proceeded with “to meet immediate demands.” In the Huntly district, said Mr Webb, the miners’ homes under construction were being built by companies under an arrangement with the State, which had given priority with men and materials. Labour was being made available from other works, and it was not expected that any difficulty would be encountered in this respect. The homes to be provided would be similar to the usual type of houses in the Dominion, and it would be optional for miners to buy or rent them. This was different from the conditions prevailing with State houses at Mangapehi and T.Ttii mines, which were rented. The situation concerning accommodation for miners' would be reviewed periodically and further houses would be constructed as the demand dictated, said Mr Webb. In the Waikato district any future need for miners’ homes and amenities would be considered by the board of control from time to time.

STATE CONTROL OF MINES Decision Criticized By Mr Holland (P.A.) DUNEDIN, October 12. “The Minister of Mines, the Hon. P. C. Webb, was unquestionably telling the truth when he said the Northern Miners’ Union executive was completely happy over the confiscation of the Waikato coal mines,” said the Leader of the Opposition, Mr S. G. Holland, in a statement today. “This is another black page in the Government’s record of industrial appeasement and capitulation to the forces of lawlessness. By playing the enemy’s game, as Mr Semple put it, by holding up production and by disorganizing our transport system so that thousands of soldiers were locked in their, camps because there was insufficient coal to take them to their homes and families, 1300 coal miners have won an important battle towards the main objective: State control and socialization. “Thirteen hundred striking coal miners have succeeded in robbing 13,000 hard-working dairy fanners, who co-operatively own two Waikato mines, of the right to manage their own affairs. Eleven hundred coal miners wantonly broke the law and have not even been summonsed and prosecuted. Thirteen thousand dairy farmers broke no law and committed no wrong. The finding of the court of inquiry was entirely in their favour, yet they virtually lose control of their own mines and any increased earnings are to be confiscated. The use of war funds to pay fees, salaries and allowances to the members of this board is a grave misuse of war funds and will be received with much misgiving by the public.” Mr Holland said that excess profits were being paid into the War Expenses Account, but there was a significant silence on the important question of where any deficiency or loss was to come from. One naturally wondered why the Minister was silent on this point. The original regulations provided that any losses should be a f charge on the War Expenses Acccount, and if there were insufficient funds to pay an average dividend to shareholders, then the dividend would be made up out of the War Expenses Account. Again, this would be a grave misuse of war funds and a serious shock to the public. PRIME MINISTER’S REPLY (P.A.) WELLINGTON, October 12. “Mr Holland is fully at liberty to relieve his friendly feelings towards the Government, even if he does so in characteristic reckless fashion, or to indulge in an orgy of misrepresentation if that sort of dissipation appeals to him; but I am sorry for his own sake that he has stooped to what appears to be a conscious, if feeble, inaccuracy in describing control of the Waikato mines for the period of the war as confiscation,” said the Prime Minister, Mr Fraser, when referring in an interview tonight to the statement by the Leader of the Opposition. “Nobody will believe that sort of nonsense,” added the Prime Minister. INCREASED OUTPUT (P.A.) AUCKLAND, October 12. In the first week after the resumption of work, despite various interruptions, the Waikato, mines produced 16,152 tons of coal and in the second week 16,832 — 800 to 1000 tons above the pre-strike average, said the Minister of Mines, Mr Webb, in an interview today. “We had to choose between coal and chaos,” said the Minister, commenting on the arrangement made between the employers and the Government for the war-time control of the mines. “Making the mines a Government-controlled industry is purely a war measure. When the mines resumed a fortnight ago more than 60 factories, plus freezing and fertilizer works, were within a week of exhausted coal supplies. Had the strike continued another week all the industries in the North Island would have closed down.” Discussing the settlement of the strike, Mr Webb said: “Past experience should have taught those who were crying out for the use of the big stick that such methods only aggravate a delicate situation. The miner will not be bludgeoned. Most of them can see reason, and reason ultimately' prevailed. Neither the owners nor the Government believed the imprisonment of the men would have got the country out of economic trouble.” He added that the full powers of the State must be behind the maximum war effort.