BRITISH MINERS:

Taranaki Daily News, 10 March 1921, Page 5

BRITISH MINERS:

DECONTROL BRINGS CRISIS. LOWER WAGES INVOLVED. LABOR OPPOSE THE BILL By Telegraph.—Press Assn.^—Copyright. Received March 9, 5.6 p.m. London, March 8. With the second reading of the Decontrol Bill the coal problem has reached a crisis. The executive of the Miners’ Federation met before the debate. It is understood they are now reconciled to the measure passing, though they are making a desperate last effort to persuade the Government to abandon it. The coal owners to.day decided to give fourteen days* notice throughout the British coal fields of the termination of existing contracts of service, thus gaining full freedom to negotiate new terms. The miners’ executive is now doubtful of the wisdom of the strike policy, as they fear a national lock-out. When decontrol is legally established Cabinet will step out of the ring and leave the miners and the owners to settle the matter. The miners’ executive accordingly propose to appoint a negotiating committee to make the best terms. A reduction of wages of from 7s to 10s a shift is being discussed. Mr. W. C. Bridgman (Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade), moving the Coal Decontrol Bill’s second reading, said the amount of the coal pool at the end of December was about £16,500,000, and the owners and the Government agreed to use the whole sum to finance the industry. At present a quarter of the owners would claim nothing above pre-war profits. Nationalisation was not practicable politics at the present time, and the alternative was a subsidy of at least £5,000,000 a month from now to September. He did not believe even the miners would advocate this during the three worst months of the year. The Government practically subsidised coal, and no other industry received such high wages and profits. The Government could not be accused of of a breach of faith with the miners, as their representatives boycotted the Bill when it was before the House of Commons.

Mr. S. Walsh (Labor member) moved the rejection of the Bill. He stated that the wages to-day were too low to pro. vide a good standard of living. The maximum a miner could earn was £4 10s a week, and the minimum was Is 6d a day lower. Two-fifths of the miners were receiving the minimum. Mr. Walsh concluded: Hungry men are angry, and the men begged the Government to withdraw the Bill and not press into the maelstrom of danger. Sir Clifford Cory (Coalition Liberal) attributed the crisis to the flooding of the market with American coal. Mr. V. Hartshorn (Labor member) urged that before the industry was decontrolled a national wages agreement with a national pool should be created. The miners were opposed to the Bill because it would result in chaos by the end of the month, and 1,200,000 miners would be unemployed. Mr. Hartshorn stated the owners wanted an agreement fixing the wages in each district, based on ability. A settlement was impossible except on a national basis.

Mr. J. C. Gould (Coalition Unionist), in a fighting speech, said the country was suffering through the rapacity of the coalminers demanding wages beyond the possibility of the industry to bear. “I shipped coal from Australia to Sweden cheaper than I produced it in South Wales,” he said, adding that under these circumstances we could not expect to retain the markets. The unification nf a wages scheme would be a whip with which the Miners’ Federation could scourge the backs of the rest of the community. He counselled the Government to deal firmly with the miners and advised the House to stand by the Government. Mr. Walsh’s motion for the rejection of the Bill was negatived by 277 votes to 72.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. END OF PRESENT AGREEMENT. SOME OWNERS GIVE NOTICE. London, March 7The coal owners in Durham and Northumberland have given notice to the miners terminating contracts in a fortnight. Other districts will probba'bly follow suit. The owners point out that the step is formal and a necessary sequel to decontrol, but the miners detect therein a determination to insist on district regulation of wages, whereas the miners make national regulation a cardinal point of their policy. The leaders are already talking of a very grave calamity impending. The question is to be discussed by the miners’ conference on Thursday. Mr. Smillie has again tendered his resignation to the Miners’ Union. It is understood he feels that his health is not equal to the strain of the prolonged struggle which seems inevitable according to some leaders of the Miners’ Union.