THREAT OF COAL STRIKE

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24866, 4 May 1946, Page 7

THREAT OF COAL STRIKE

NEW SOUTH WALES MINES

(Rec. 10.30 p.m.) SYDNEY, May 3. The threat of the miner*’ leaders to precipitate another coal strike unless the New South Wales coal industry is placed under State control will be discussed at a conference of Federal and State members of Parliament on Wednesday. The conference will be attended by all members of the Federal and State Parliaments who represent mining constituencies. It is expected that the miners will demand an undertaking froi.i i Government that the legislauon drawn up by the Minister of Mines (Mr J. M. Beddeley), providing for State control of the production and distribution of coal in New South Wales should be submitted to the State Parliament at the earliest opportunity. The draft bill prepared months ago has not yet been considered by the State or Federal Governments.

The general president of the Miners' Federation said last night that no date had been fixed by the miners’ central executive as to when the coal crisis would begin. As the miners could not find anyone with sufficient courage to nationalise the mines, they were now demanding State control as the next best thing. State control would mean that the State, while not taking over the mines, would assume sufficient direction of industry to ensure overruling power to prevent the owners from doing things which in the opinion of the State were bad.

The president said the miners were not responsible for the continuing coal shortages. The industry was in urgent need of reorganisation. The production of 10,000 tons of coal was lost yesterday in New South Wales through industrial disputes. Drastic powers for a commission of three are proposed in the draft of the Coal Industry Bill, which the miners want enacted without delay. They include the right to fix the maximum output for districts and prices, and limit the owners’ profit to 5 per cent The commission proposed would be appointed for a seven-year period, and would have the powers of a Royal Commission. The Premier of New South Wales would be given authority to join with the Prime Minister or the other state Premiers in any plan for concerted action in the marketing of coat