COAL MINERS AND WATERSIDERS

Press, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23052, 21 June 1940, Page 7

COAL MINERS AND WATERSIDERS

—— MINISTER’S DEFENCE LONDON DOCKERS’ WAGES (I’ItESS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM.) WELLINGTON, June 20. A spirited defence of coal miners and waterside workers against allegations by members of the Opposition was made by the Minister for Labour (the Hon. P. CL Webb) in the debate on the Imprest Supply Bill in the House of Representatives this evening. Mr Webb said he believed the average coal miner working on contract underground did more real, hard, dangerous work in one day than nine-tenths of his critics did in a month. When one took their earnings over a year, waterside workers were among the lowest paid of the higher class of skilled workers in the country. The Minister thanked representatives of the coal industry for responding so magnificently to the Government’s appeal made less than two months ago. Early this year, on account of serious flopds interfering with transport, the production of coal had gone down about 30,000 tons. During the last two months, however, coal miners had increased production by more than 65,000 tons. They were working on Saturdays without overtime to help the country, but they got no praise for that, just kicks. ‘As a result of the response to the Government’s appeal,” said the Minister, “the coal situation will soon be in such a healthy state that no one need go without coal.” The waterside workers now received 2s lOd an hour. In Australia they received 2s lOid. Dock workers in London received hourly 4s' for handling butter, 3s 8d for cheese, 3s Hid for wool, 5s lid for chilled beef', 5s 8d for general cargo, and 8s 9d for, apples. Members of the Opposition had condemned the waterside workers because they alleged they did not work. The incentive under the old system had been to loaf. The Labour Government said that was wrong, and wanted to give watersiders the incentive to get ships turned round as quickly as possible. It had established the co-opera-tive contract system. Referring to complaints of a shortage of farm labour, the Minister said that to-day there were 1508 experienced

farm workers wanting jobs, and 1488 inexperienced men willing to go on to farms, yet Opposition members condemned the Government when their duty was to tell the people that labour could be provided. Four thousand men from unemployment schemes were, working clearing farm land. The Government had issued 66 licences for petroleum prospecting. Mr Webb said. Two big machines, costing about £130,000 each, were operatingone out of Gisborne, and the other in Taranaki. It was possible that another machine at similar cost would be drilling for oil out from Mount Stewart or Marton.