CLOSE DIVISION.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 237, 7 October 1930, Page 5

CLOSE DIVISION.

REFORMERS WITH LABOUR.

WAIKATO COAL CONTRACTS

MR. HOLLAND'S MOTION REJECTED.

(By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.)

WELLINGTON, Monday.

Close divisions appear to be the lot of the Government in these days near to the end of the session. To-night the question of coal contracts cut across the; tracks of the Opposition parties, and nine Reformers and one Independent joined forces with Labour to withhold supply on the Mines estimates. Four votes saved the Estimates from defeat.

,As an indication that the Railway Department's coal orders in the Waikato should be equally distributed amongst the various mines Mr. H. E. Holland, Leader of the Labour party, moved a reduction of £5 in the estimates. He declared that the position in the Waikato was almost tragical, through the handing over of coal orders to one company. He understood that the Waipa mine was on the verge of closing down, while Pukcmiro and Renown mines were standing idle for the greater part of the time. .He expressed the hope that members would realise the injustice of the position created through the concentration of orders with the Taupiri Company. The Hon. A. J. Murdoch, Minister of Mines, said the contract for Taupiri coal had nothing to do with him cr his department. It was a railway contract and did not come under his purview. "Disintegration of Industry." Mr. W. E. Parry (Labour, Auckland Central) said the statement by the Minister practically meant that there was no co-ordination among the Government departments. The unwise policy of the Minister of Railways had caused disintegration of the industry in the Waikato district. It had been said the Department had saved £2000, but it would cost them more to clean up the position that had been created. An attempt should now be made, to spread orders over the whole of the district. In the opinion of Mr. W. Martin (Labour, Raglan) the interests of the producers of coal had not been considered in the least. The position was desperate in some districts _ and the homes of many miners were being broken up. Mr. J. S. Fletcher (Independent, Grey Lynn) asked what steps the Minister was taking to provide employment for miners who had been deprived of work in the Waikato. Employment Prospects. ' Mr. Murdoch said that as far as the Waikato district was concerned work was practically on a par with that of previous years. Every summer there were men out of work, but he hoped that this summer there would be fewer. This year all the coal required by the. Auckland Power Board would be drawn from the-Waikato; there would bo no Australian importation. He believed that in the near future there would be more work .available in some of the mines in thai district than was the case previously. The opening of the new Glen Afton mine would mean an increase of probably 100 men, drawn from other mines in the area. The Waipa mine was not likely to do very much in the future, but the new mine would take its place. Mr. W. P. Endean, (Reform, Parnell) stated ho would support the Labour leader's amendment, because the Government had wrongfully dealt with a State coal mine asset, failing to get a return for it, and because the Government had failed to make the best possible contract for railway supplies, as its contract was loose and slipshod, and did not represent tho position properly to the other mining companies concerned.

Rejected by Four Votes.. On a division the amendment was defeated by 28 votes to 24. The division list follows: — For the Amendment (24). Ansell Langstone Armstrong Linklater Dickie McKeen Endean ' Macmillan Fletcher Martin Fraser Munro Hall Nash, W. Holland, H. E. O'Brien Howard Parry Jones Savage Jordan Semple Kyle Wright Against the Amendment (28). ■ Broadfoot Makitanara Clinkard Munna Cobbe Murdoch Dβ La Perrelle Ngata Donald ■ ' Poison yield l Rushworth Hamilton Smith Healy Stallworthy Hogan Stewart ' Holland, H. , Sykes Lysnar 'Veitch McDonald Ward McDougall Wilkinson MacPherson Young