The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 1919. AN IMPOSSIBLE COAL SITUATION.

Taihape Daily Times, 27 September 1919, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 1919. AN IMPOSSIBLE COAL SITUATION.

With which is incorporated ‘.‘ The Taihape Post: and Waimarino News.” ,

‘ There is still a dispute between Coal- ; owners and coalminers that has all the I elements of disturbing industrial and social peace. Coal-owners, righ‘tly or wrongly,’ say that miners have put a i Go-Slow policy into action, and on this statement, which neither people, i Parliament, or miners are given any 1 basis of opportunity to controvert, they [ have put -another four shillings -and sixpence on the price of coal. The subijject has been discussed in Par-lia‘i'nen‘t, iand, it seems, the natural process. of ! ending such difierences is again refused by Coal-owners. It is amazing that _, owners should insist upon weilding a coal-claymore over the men while refusing to confer with them in any way.‘ The men say they are perfectly l willing to meet owners in conference, J in an endeavour to end the trouble, and 8 thereby prevent coal prices increasing, but the owners practically tell the men [-to go to Hades. The Prime Minister, ‘in the House, said he had no power ‘to bring about a conference between the ' disputants; he had urged -them to conifer, and there, it seems, the matter I must end so far as the Governmen’t. will {interfere to save the people of this ' country from Widespread disaster. Mr Massey takes the Coal-owners’ battle up by emphatically stating in answer -to the Hon, A. M. Myers, that -the ]“Gro-Slow” policy was still in opera- ; tion, and from his cavalier attitude he ! evidently does not intend to move anotlier. finger in" stemming the tide of l coal trouble -thalt is likely to. result in lcruel suifering to ‘the .masses, and "in ' giving manufacturers‘further plausible ‘pretence for increasing the prices of what they produce. Astonished at this lattirtude of drift, the Leader of -the i Opposition g'tells- the Prime Minister lthat the position is serious, and_ asks 1 whether the time is not ripe for Parlliameut to step in. He suggests the ,constitution of the conference should [be changed; in addition to the two parties to the dispu‘te =there should be I present representatives from industries, lof farming, of the railways, of shiplping, and that Parliament should be ‘ represented by the Prime Minister and i the Leader of ‘the Opposition, -and, if needs be, of the Labour Party in the House. Now it matters not who this practical suggestion comes from, it. is an earnest endeavour to prevent industrial strife and national suffering that has every appearance of be- , ing successful. In any conference beF tween owners and miners, one side {might deceive and beat the other, but with such a conference as the Leader of the Opposition suggests; to the Premier any aspect of deliberations would be brought to bear in arriving at a conclusion satisfactory to coal-consumers generally. Mr Massey replied: “I‘ don.’t know what can be done,” and adds, both sides seem particularly obstinate, and one is no more obstinate than the other. In the very next sentence, he says, “tlle miners have asked for a conference, and the -mine-owners refused it, and yet he refuses to admit that 'the owners are responsible for the refusal; at least, he did not vouchsafe a reply when asked the direct question. This country is evidently drifting ‘into industrial and social ‘trouble because, as Mr Massey himself says, he doesn’t know “what to do. The amazing thing is he refuses to do anything when a way from the difiiculty 15.-pointed out to him. What most particularly interests the general public is “'l"?fh01' he desires or intends to do anything. The State coal business last YWII‘ made a profit of £30,607, and yet private coal owner's can find no way of making profit on coal except by increas. ing the price. Wha't, we wonder, will the Sta“-‘ Pl‘ofifs be next year, if the four sllillings and sixpence a ton owners have put on is vinaintained? While

the Government refuses ‘to do nothing ‘because, as its Head says, i‘t. does not know what to (10, poor people are .to sufl’el‘ from Want of coal, -as well as from .pri_ces of manufactured necessities such as boots and clothing being kept up, or advanced, on -the plea of coal expense and shortage. VVe say ‘the position crys aloud for drastic ac"-fion by the suffering people.