The Press Monday, April 26, 1926. The Coal Crisis in Britain.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 18675, 26 April 1926, Page 8

The Press Monday, April 26, 1926. The Coal Crisis in Britain.

The request for another Coal Conference so soon after the failure of the first ought to mean that neither side has yet reached its limit in concession. When we discussed the position on Wednesday last it seemed to us that the most arresting fact of all was the absence of national excitement. That is still the outstanding fact, and it means, not merely that we are a phlegmatic race, but that the people of the Homeland do not really believe that the next step will be civil war. Every intelligent person knows that disorders may come—that there are hot-heads and blunderers on both sides quite capable of precipitating a catastrophe, and almost, in some instances, eager to do so. But if the hot-head 3 were only one in ten thousand, and ninety-nine out of every hundred of the remainder were stoics and quietists, tho public of Great Britain would not be more interested in cricket than in coal if they had not reasonable grounds for believing that cricket will still be an excitement when coal has been forgotten. There is nothing in the cable news to show on what this confidence is fed, but it exists, and it would be foolish to start alarms on this side of the world when those on the danger side refuse to take .the danger very seriously. Besides, the Dominion is now in possession (since Friday) of the English newspapers which appeared immediately after the Commission's report was made public,, and it is certainly not the case that to read the comments which were then made is ft very disturbing experience. All the great dailies agreed that the Report was a more or less momentous document whioh might have a profound influence on industry. It was recognised that the Commissioners were men of great ability, and that they had carried out their task with a very solemn sense of responsibility to the public at large as well as to the jnine-, owners and mine-workers. The " Man- " Chester Guardian " also did not forget to remind its readers —it was a very proper reminder—that the Report was " by far the most expensive document ever published": it had cost anything between twenty and thirty millions—the price of the subsidy by which the industry has been kept going in the meantime —and the " Guardian " insisted that the test whether this expenditure was worth while would be its ability or inability to parry the industry past the crisis whioh the subsidy had of course merely postponed. But neither the "Guardian" nor its contemporaries suggested, or seemed to fear, that if the Report failed to meet this test the result would be riot and confusion. Even the "Daily Mail," which does not as a rule minimise alarms, was content to say in closing that "the situation was hopeful" if both side 3 understood that it was "a " case of dragging the industry out of "a hole," and "less promising" if "that kind of feeling was lacking on "one side or the other." The "Morn- " ing Post" was of the opinion that " the problem remained as it was, with " the difference that both sides had had "time to think, and had besides the "benefit of advice from an impartial " and disinterested authority." The " Daily Telegraph " agreed that " a cer"tain section, and not a negligible " one, desired trouble, and would be disappointed if trouble wero averted," but its general belief was that "the "vast majority of miners desire "peace." The most impressive comment, in matter and manner both, was that of "The Times," which pointed out that the public had been warned not to expect a pleasant Report, but could regard the document now before them as "serious rather than gloomy." As an illustration of its seriousness " The Times " drew attention to " such " startling facts as, for example, that " the time lost in the industry per man " (not by any means only throtfgfc "avoidable absenteeism) was equal to "twelve whole worjpng weeks in the "year; that there were 700,000 coal "waggons which made no more than "two journeys apiece in the month; " and that tho soot discharged into the " atmosphere annually represented "thrqe days' output of all the mines "in tho country, employing over a "million men." But it was at pains, also to point out that " in the industry "itself the vast majority preferred " peace and reorganisation to the risks " and certain distresses of a disastrous "upheaval," and that the common stock of patience and forbearance had " happily, beyond all question, greatly "inoreased since the heated days of "last July." There is nothing in any of these comments to justify a fear that if this latest conference fails the next step will be war, and there i 3 still time for news of a genuine peace.