The Daily News. OCTOBER 18, 1920. THE CRISIS AT HOME.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 October 1920, Page 4

The Daily News. OCTOBER 18, 1920. THE CRISIS AT HOME.

It is officially reported that the British miners are to cease work at once because the Government will not give way to their demand for 2s a day increase irrespective of output. The Government has done everything, possible to meet the men, offering to submit their claims to an impartial tribunal, or to grant the increase if the miners will only restore production to the lpvel of the output in the early part of 1920. In September the coal owners offered a shilling rise for a 240,000,000 tons a year output, rising to 3s for 256,000,000 tons. On this offer the recent ballot was token, and by an overwhelming majority it was rejected. For some time past the output of coal has been steadily decreasing, if being now at the rate of 230,000,000 tons a year. To qualify for the increase of a shilling the men would require to hew an additional ten million tons, with a further increase in wages as production improved. At present the miners over 18 years of age receive an average of £4 lis 3d a week for seven hours a day, compared with £1 15s 5d before the war. This represents an advance of 157 per cent, although the cost of living is estimated to have increased not more than 155 pei' cent. Production has dropped from 259 tons per man per annum to 203 tons, with a decreasing' tendency. It was hoped and argued that when the working hours were reduced production would not suffer, as more energy would be put into the work, but experience has shown this to be a fallacy. The smaller the hours and the easier the conditions, the more the miners want. Their unreasonable attitude is not unlike that of the miners in New Zealand. They are doing so well that they are not particular whether they work full time or not. Only the other day it was cabled that the output would be materially increased if all the miners could work the full number of shifts instead of attending football matches and other sports during working hours. Behaving in such an unconscientious manner, it is not surprising that they have gone further and endeavored to usurp the functions of government by demanding not only higher wages for less work but that the Government should lower the price ol: household coal by 14s 2d per ton. This would cost £33,000,000, and the 2s increase in wages £30,000,000. The miners argue that as there is a profit of £6G,000,000 on the ■ mining industry, the total cost of what they ask can quite easily be borne. But the Government return issued'a month ago showed that the net profits for the year were but three million sterling. But even if the profits were sixty-six millions, it would not alter the position, for the whole of the profits i come from the present, high price which the British Government are able to charge for exported coal. The coal used by the private consumers at Home is sold to liiin at the exact cost of production. The profits on the export, trade are a windfall, and cannot be expected to last. But what, right has any body of men to dictate to the Government what they should do in

the matter of fixing the price of coal, or anything else? Like so many demands made in the name ef Labor, their demand is an assertion of the right to decide matters of public, policy. To some extent they have sensibly weakened on this point since negotiations were opened, for the sufficient reason that they found ranged against them a solid body of opposition, but they have persisted in their demand for an increase in wages, unaccompanied, however, by any undertaking to increase the output. The Government and the employers cannot, of course, agree to any such demand, for it would end in disaster. The men are now attempting to get their own way by force, by using the strike bludgeon upon the long suffering public. It is cheering to hear that the Government are prepared to meet the position, and that the issue is regarded by the Premier as not in doubt. The men themselves do not seem to be unanimous about the desirability of resorting to the strike weapon, many of the ol'der men disagreeing with the bellicose attitude of the younger element. The Government successfully met the last big strike, mainly because it had the public behind it, and there is no question that in this trouble they will also have the same whole-hearted assistance of the public, who have every cause to be indignant with the unreasonable demands of a class of men who for a long time have regarded themselves as specially privileged anc 1 able to dictate to the country the policy it should adopt in connection with conducting the coal mines, and able to please themselves whether they worked full time or not. They, badly want teaching the lesson that they cannot rule the industry and the country.