BRITAIN'S COAL CRISIS

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 235, 1 October 1920, Page 5

BRITAIN'S COAL CRISIS

m—v, NO SETTLEMENT YET. DIFFERENCES AMONG LEADERS! ANOTHER BALLOT POSSIBLE. (B_r Cable—Press Association— Copyright.) LONDON. September 30. Four days of strenuous negotiations between the mineowners and the miners have failed to produce a plan for submission to the Government. It is understood that the miners did not propose a definite datum line of output, but were inclined to negotiate on the basis of 232,000,000 tons. When the miners met Mr. Lloyd George there was some plain speaking on both sides, perhaps due to the fact that no shorthand report was taken, as Mr. R. Smillie, for the miners, I emphatically protested against the sug- I gestion that, a note should be taken and the proceedings published. Mr. Lloyd J George accordingly agreed that only a i general statement of the result of the j deliberations should be issued. | Mr. Lloyd George made it plain that ■the Government would not abandon its position that there must be a public inquiry before increases of wages can be permitted. It is known that there is a strong difference of opinion among the miners' leaders. The most hopeful possibility is that the conference of. miners' delegates to-day will authorise another ballot upon the acceptance of the owners' proposals. The "Daily Chronicle" says that the Miners' Federation has not abandoned the idea of getting the 2/ a day increase, irrespective of the output. This attitude means that the miners are heading for a conflict. Meanwhile, the public must be calm and be prepared to support the Government in upholding reason and justice. Tlie "Daily Express" says that the mineowners' offer is fair and advantageous. They are prepared to pay an increase of wages at the end of October if the month's output justifies one. If the miners reject this offer they will range public opinion solidly against them. The "Daily Xews," however, is of opinion that if the Government consents to an immediate grant of a 2/-a-day increase conditional upon the parties agreeing to a joint scheme of wages and output, that scheme will be forthcoming. The "Daily Telegraph" states that the negotiations between the mineowners and the miners have completely groken down. The mineowners proposed that the datum line of output should be 242,000,000 tons annually and that an increase of wages should be conditional on this datum line being exceeded. The datum line suggested is about 12,000,000 tons above the output for the year ended June 30, but it is pointed out that the number of miners employed is constantly increasing. The miners proposed that the output for the quarter ended June 30 should be the datum line, and that there should be an immediate increase of wages by 2/ a day and further increases corresponding to the increase of output.—(A. and N.Z. Cable.)