COAL INDUSTRY

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVI, Issue 91, 14 October 1943, Page 5

COAL INDUSTRY

CHURCHILL'S DEFENCE

NATIONALISATION ISSUE

Rec. 10.20 a.m. RUGBY, October 13. Mi\ Churchill, in a surprise move, decided, upon the resumption of the coal debate in the House of Commons. This was due to the swelling volume of criticism from the Labour Party, many members of which consider that nationalisation is the only solution, but the Labour Party met just before the debate and decided not to vote against the Government. Mr. Churchill, intervening in the debate, said that only 50,000 tons of coal had been lost in the last twelve months by strikes out of upwards of 200 million tons produced. Losses by stoppages had been less than "twothirds of half of one per cent." This loss compared very favourably with last year and other comparisons might be drawn outside this country. "The figure of wilful absenteeism is slightly under 5 per cent. There is also a certain increase in short absenteeism throughout the industry, through small ailments which are not entirely dissociated from dietary changes and the regime under which we live. Even taking all absenteeism into account, there is no loss of tonnage this year more than last. We must not underrate the strain upon the miners. Their average age has increased; food is less stimulating and less varied; miners do not get the holidays or leisure for their exceptionally arduous calling allowed in the past during the summer. They are now pressed to work as hard or harder in the summer to pile up coal for the winter and make good the needs of war. Wages have advanced over 50 per cent., against an increase in the cost of living of 30 per cent. "We must rely on the miners to do their best for the cause for which they most warmly and most sternly aspire. Next year the miners will have the aid of outcrop coal produced by surface work, amounting- to ten or fifteen million tons. Provided everyone does his duty to the utmost we are in no danger of a collapse of coal production. This island is running on a very high level with good rhythm, and if we can only keep our momentum—we cannot increase our pace—the very fact will enable us to outclass our enemies, possibly even our friends." Mr. Churchill said that the Minister of Fuel, if he needed further powers, need only ask for them, and if they were thought indispensable, however rough, they would be given. He had full powers to take over the pits in the same way as firms were taken over by the Ministry of Aircraft Production. He could make examples where obstruction or incompetence in management could be proved. It had certainly not been proved yet. Mr. Churchill said that unless we were relieved by an altogether unexpected collapse on the part of the enemy, "which we would .be absolute fools to count upon," the worst fighting, so far as the British people were concerned, lay ahead. He refused to weaken the field forces or the manpower reserves which lay behind them, "except by a limited comb-out of older men." Nor would he nationalise the mines without a mandate from the nation. Nationalisation did not terrify him at all, and. the principle was accepted by all, provided proper compensation was paid. It was a question whether they would make a better business of the whole thing for the nation than by relying on private enterprise. It would, however, raise a lot- of differences and argument. It would be a tremendous business to nationalise the mines, and unless it could be proved to be the conviction of the House and of the country and to the satisfaction of the responsible Minister that it was the only way to win the war, they would not be justified in embarking upon it without a General Election.—B.O.W.