COAL MINES BILL

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 70, 16 December 1929, Page 7

COAL MINES BILL

MIXED RECEPTION FEATURES OPPOSED BURDEN IMPOSED ON CONSUMERS (Britleh Official Wireless.) (Rec. December 14, 5.5 p.m.) Rugby, December 13. The Government's Coal Mines Bill has met with a mixed reception. • The miners favour proposals for reducing the mtn era* hours to 7} daily, and welcome the National Wages Board proposal. The coal owners dislike these features, but approve the Bill’s marketing scheme proposals. A feature of the Bill to which industry generally objects is that it permits of an increase of the price of coal for domestic use. An interesting position in the House of Commons is likely to arise on the Bill. The Liberals have tabled a reasoned amendment for the rejection, which, if carried with Conservative support, would defeat the Bill. The Conservatives, however, according to the newspapers, will find it impossible to give such support.. It is suggested that the Conservative amendment for rejection, which will take precedence over the Liberal amendment, will be more direct and that the Liberals will take no part in the division on it. The Liberal amendment, while favouring a reduction of hours and the establishment of a National Industrial Board, opposes the Bill, which it asserts does nothing to promote reorganisation of the industry or to secure a reduction of the costs of production through higher efficiency, but on the contrary would give a statutory vested interest to inefficient pits, would curtail the production of efficient pits, and would subsidise coal supplied to competing manufacturers abroad while increasing the price of coal to British industries and imposing a heavy burden on home consumers in generaL