BRITISH COAL INDUSTRY

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 74, 20 December 1929, Page 7

BRITISH COAL INDUSTRY

AIMS OF NEW BILL CONTROL OF MARKETING SCHEMES MR. GRAHAM’S SPEECH PRAISED - (British Official WirdrenJ (Rec. January 19, M pan.) Rugby, December 18. The President of the Board of Trade, Mr. William Graham, moved the second reading of the Coal Mines Bill in the House of Commons, in which the members’ benches and special galleries were crowded. Mr. Graham's speech, lasting for an hour and a half, and delivered without a single note to aid his memory, is warmly praised by the Opposition papers, not only for its conciliatory tone and frankness, but as an outstanding Parliamentary achievement, displaying a most intimate knowledge of an Intricate question. The Bill treats of marketing schemes, the reduction of the working day, and the setting up of a National Industrial Board. A Central Marketing Council is proposed to control the score of district marketing schemes, allocating a quota of the output to each district, and the district bodies in their turn are to allocate the output of the separate pits. The Board of Trade will control the marketing schemes intimately, and the central body, consisting wholly of coal-owners, will have powers to impose levies for cost of the schemes, and to enforce them with penalties. The Central Council may also collect from the district board levies to promote the export of coal and the sale of coal in special home markets. The Bill reduces the working day to 7} hours, as from next April, and establishes a National Board to deal with wages on the lines of the Railway Wages Board.

The newspapers state that Mr. Graham’s speech was in particular addressed to the Liberals in the hope of securing their support for the measure. The Liberal spokesman, Sir Herbert Samuel, who, as chairman of the Coal Commission of four years ago, is a recognised authority on the subject, adversely criticised the details of the Labour scheme, which, he said, was wholly contrary to the Commission's report. He emphasized the need for power to compel colliery amalgamations in place of the proposal to establish a Commission to study the question of amalgamations. He concluded by addressipg a series, of specific questions ,on the Bill, which were answered later by the Minister of Mines, Mr. Ben Turner. - These questions "are being considered by the Liberal leaders to-day. The newspapers anticipate that the Liberals will not oppose the second reading of the Bill, ;whlch ? -will be put to the vote to-morrow. LIBERAL PARTY’S DECISION MAY VOTE AGAINST SECOND READING (United Press Association.— By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) (Rec. December 19, 7 p.m.) London, December 18. A meeting of the Liberal Party decided to vote against the second reading of the Coal Bill to-morrow, unless the Government gives a satisfactory assurance on points which Sir Herbert Samuel raised yesterday.