N.S.W. MINERS

Greymouth Evening Star, 14 December 1944, Page 5

N.S.W. MINERS

DEFIANCE TO GOVERNMENT

LONG HOLIDAY DECIDED (N.Z.P.A. Special Australian Correspondent)

(Rec. 12.50 p.m.) SYDNEY, December 14. The New South Wales Miners’ Federation has decided to defy the National Security Regulations instructing the miners to return to work on January 2, following their Christmas holidays. The central executive of the Federation has informed the'ActingPrime Minister (Mr. Forde) that the Central Miners’ Council will advise members to stop work on December 22, and report back for work on January 8. The Central Executive also informed Mr. Forde that on January 10, aggregate meetings will be held on all coalfields, when recommendations will be submitted by the miners’ leaders.

The northern New South Wales Miners’ Management Board, yesterday, endorsed the action of the Central Council in advising miners not to resume work until January 8. This means that 54 pits in the northern coalfields will take the extra six days’ holidays, three of which normally would be working days. The 54 collieries produce more than two-thirds of the States’ coal and have an aggregate daily output of more than 32,000 tons. It is expected that all other mining districts will similarly endorse the Central Council’s decision, thus precipitating a showdown with the Government which last week gazetted the National Security Regulation limiting the miners’ holidays to the period December 22 to January 2. Such endorsement would mean that Australia would lose 276,000 tons of coal instead of 138,000 tons that would have been lost in the event of the National Security Regulation being obeyed. . , The official journal oi" the Miners Federation “Common Cause” said yesterday: “Let the Government be warned. We have no doubt of the backing of the trade union movement, for there is not a union leader who is not thoroughly fed up with the contemptuous treatment received of late from Federal Ministers.”

COAL PRODUCTION

SYDNEY, December 13

The New South Wales coalminers, this year, produced 9,590,000 tons of coal representing a drop of 421,000 tons, compared with the corresponding period last year, said the miners’ general secretary, Mr. G. W. S. Grant, to-day. Production in 1942, the peak year, had been boosted by the threat of an invasion, added Mr. Grant. The coal owners then had been prepared to play their part, because they realised that they might lose everything. But to-day the same co-operation was not forthcoming, because the owners were angling for advantageous positions in the post-war period. The year’s biggest coal losses had been m the northern New South Wales field, where big combines operated, but despite the drop in production, Australian miners were producing more coal per man than ever before.

PARLIAMENTARY SERVICE.

CANBERRA, December 13. The Minister for the Navy and Munitions, Mr. Makin, and the former Prime Minister. Sir Earle Page, to-day comoleted 25 years’ continuous service in the Commonwealth Parliament. Mr. Makin .was elected for Hindmarsh. South Australia, at the general elections in 1919, with a majority of 916. He was returned last election with a record Australian majority of nearly 40,000. Sir E. Page, who represents Cowper, New South Wales, was Prime Minister in April, 1939. and has been ActingPrime Minister for four other short periods. He has held many portfolis and has been Leader of the Country Party.

NON-LABOUR PARTIES.

SYDNEY, December 13. About 50 delegates from non-Lab-our political organisations in all parts of Australia will meet in Albury tomorrow to formulate a constitution for the recently-formed Liberal Party of Australia. Practically all the non-Labour political parties except the Country Party will be represented. At a conference in Canberra two months ago the groups represented agreed in principle to a non-Labour unity plan and accepted the provisional statement of the party objectives. The Albury conference will result in the conversion of the United Australia Party in the Federal Parliament and in most of the State Parliaments into the Liberal Party. A new electoral organisation to support Parliamentax r members in both Federal and State politics will come into being early in the New Year. . It will conduct a vigorous campaign for nonLabour interests at the Federal elections due in 1946. A detailed constitution for approval by the Albury conference provides lor the creation of a Federal secretariat to work under the direction of the Federal executive of the party and a State executive in every'State capital. All the States will be equally represented on a Federal Council, which will be the supreme governing body of the new party. Although the Country Party will not participate in the Albury conference and will not merge into the new Liberal Party, constitutional provision will be made for collaboration with other bodies of a broadly similar political creed. Thus the Liberal and Country parties expect to achieve a high measure of collaboration both in the Parliaments and in the electorates.

' RAIN IN N.S. WALES. SYDNEY, December 13. Continued light rainfalls over many parts of New South Wales, today, have reduced the menace of "further bushfires, but considerably greater falls are needed to break the drought. Agriculturists and pastoralists" said, to-day, that generous falls could promote a growth of fodder, but these would need to be followed by additional substantial rains within a few weeks to stimulate initial growth. The apiarists are asking the Department of Agriculture for sugar to feed starving bees in the Federal capital territory, where the drought has killed a large number of the flowering plants which supplied the bees with natural food. , WHEAT”:IMPORTS (Recd. 1 P-m.) SYDNEY, Dec. 14. Australia which before the war was the world’s third largest exporter of wheat may herself have to import wheat next year for the first time since the disastrous drought in 1897. Chiefly because of the failure of New South Wales and Victoria crops, Australian wheat production this season is estimated to be under fifty million bushels. The 'average for the ten years before the war was 177 million bushels and average exports were then about 100 million bushels. The shortage in New South Wales this year is expected to be at least nine million bushels and may be more if the drought continues', and larger ouantities are needed to feed stock. Flourmillers and stock owners believe, that New South Wales will have to import substantial amounts next vear and since these are not available in Australia, they believe that eimports will have to come from North or South Africa.