THE COAL QUESTION.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 July 1920, Page 5

THE COAL QUESTION.

WHO GETS THE PROFIT t (From Our Parliamentary Reporter.) Wellington, Saturday. "I have great sympathy for the coal miners," said Mr. J. Horn, the new menv ber for Wakatipu, in the House. "I know what sort of man he is, and wh&l sort of life he lives." Mr. Horn described as exceedingly bad the housing condi-, tions on the West Coast, and said that people who spoke against the miners would have more sympathy if they were better acquainted with the facts.' It was natural that the miners should feel uggrievcd when they saw the difference between the price paid for the coal at the pit and the price charged to the consumers. A co-operative party had opened a mine at Seddonyille. Six miners formed the party and they employed four other men to make a group of ten. Five of these men went into au old mine and cut coal while the remaining Ave prepared the approaches of a new mine. They expected to get some money for immediate expenses from the coal thy were cutting, but when they tried to sell it, the best offer they could get from a mining company was 4s a ton on trucks. The coal had to 'be dumped into a oreek. Now the ten men were getting coal from the new mine, and they were being paid 16a a ton on the trucks. The cost pi transit, added to that lCs, did not explain the. price 1 charged for. .sealjMjtJw gititj.