COAL COMPANIES' CO-OPERATION

Press, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23699, 25 July 1942, Page 4

COAL COMPANIES' CO-OPERATION

WARNING GIVEN BY MINISTER MIGHT BE TAKEN OYER BY STATE (P.A.) AUCKLAND, July 24. If coal companies were not prepared to co-operate with the Government, he would recommend that their mines should be taken over by the State for the duration of the war, and if miners would not work they would be replaced by men who were now on active service. This statement was made by the Minister of Mines (the Hon. P. C. Webb) at a conference which he had convened, and which was attended by coal mine owners and representatives of the Northern Miners' Union. Mr Webb informed the conference that the coal situation in New Zealand was undoubtedly bad. It was to overcome production difficulties that were facing the country that he had called the conference. He said that' last September when a similar conference was held an undertaking had been given by the miners’ executive pledging the full support of their unions to the Government in its war effort to increase the production of coal. For months past the industry in the Waikato had been free of industrial trouble. The men had worked hard and had produced during the last six months nearly 30.000 tons of coal more than for the first six months of the previous year. Figures for that year had been, considerably in excess of production figures for 1940. In the last three months production in the Waikato had increased by 13,000 tons. No malingerers would be tolerated in the mines, said the Minister, The men had to work or get out and take their places in the armed services. “I think you have let the country down badly in your lack of initiative in not providing dwellings for the men at the mines,” he added. The Minister concluded by saying that the Government was prepared to give mine-owners full co-operation and the men had pledged their co-opera-tion. It remained now for all to get together with a view to producing a maximum amount.