CONFERENCE OPENED.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XLI, Issue 9488, 12 April 1921, Page 5

CONFERENCE OPENED.

STATEMENT BY LLOYD GEORGE. (Received April 12, 11.15 a.m.) The Conference of miners and owners with the Government representatives as intermediaries has begun. Mr Lloyd George opened the conference. He stated: "We are to safeguard the interests of the community by securing industrial peace. If there were only the same eagerness to share losses v as ,the profits we would certainly reach an early and satisfactory conclusion. The profits are practically made out of the export trade from which we guarantee profits to the owners and wages to the miners. Since then there has been a slump and coal has dropped from 79s 8d to 36s 6d at the pithead and the markets of Europe and South America are practically closed to Britain. The Government definitely decided not to. continue the subsidies to the owners <md miners cut or tc.xes or to abrogi^,_ tin* ue-cu^Lvol oiaer within those limits. The Governmont is prepared to listen to any scheme submitted for an adjustment of wages and profits. The owners find without a subsidy that there is not enough m the business to pay wages on the pre- .■- --aent scale. It is for them to show the grounds on which they arrived at the conclusion justifying a reduction. It will then be for- the. miners to state their case, not merely m opposition to the owners' figures, but to provide olans for adjusting the whole position." f . , Mr Lioyd George suggested that a committee of six miners and six ownera examine the situation. Both would hare to face the facts, whether it was profits or wages which would be affected. The facts were there and 'would remain until the world adjusts itself to present conditions, \ v ... . Military police are now; guarding , the machinery at most collieries..,