BRITAIN'S COAL

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 76, 30 March 1926, Page 7

BRITAIN'S COAL

INDUSTRY FACES CRISIS

lINERS WILL RESIST WAGE CUT

FATE OF TRADE INVOLVED,

(United Press Association— Copyright.) (Australian-New Zealand Cable Assn.) LONDON, 29th March. A momentous week in connection with the coal crisis has been ushered ih, a series of speeches by Labour leaders indicating the trend of trade union opinion. The Labour victory in the Bothwcll by-election is.claimed as evidence that "the workers aro determined to resist a cut in wages. Mr. I. Sullivan (the successful candidate) interviewed, says that other workers rallied to Labour, realising that a reduction of the miners' pay would bo a signal to employers to reduce wages in other trades. Mr. A. J. Cook (Miners' Federation secretary), speaking at Abortridwr, said that means must be found to assist, the industry outside a reduction in wages, longer hours, and district agreements. "We cannot pay the price of sacrifice any longer," he said. "We are going to clear out the royalty owners without compensator, I hope." Mr. J. H. Thomas, the railway workers' representative, speaking at Dunfermline, said that the test of success in trade union leadership was not to bring people out on strike nor promise them the moon when they could not even be given bread and cheese. When there wero signs of a trade improvement the coal crisis had arisen. Low and scandalous as were the miners' wages, the fact stood out that a great number of pits were producing coal at an uneconomic price. A good sign was that both sides were desirous of finding a settlement. The Home Secretary, Sir William Joynson Hicks, said: "We stand on the edge of a precipice. It depends on the employers and tho employed whether there is a trade revival or whether we have a strike or lock-out which will destroy the hope of revival, possibly for years.''