N.S. WALES COAL

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 October 1945, Page 6

N.S. WALES COAL

FEDERAL GOVT. PURCHASE FIVE YEARS’ PEACE PLAN SYDNEY, October 21. The acquisition anti the distribution l?y the Commpnxvealth. Government of all of the New South Wales coal, for a period of at least five years, will be recommended to the Federal and State Cabinets respectively by the Prime Minister, Mr. Chifiey, and the N.S.W. Premier, Mr. McKell. The Central Executive of the Miners’ Federation have announced that this key-point in the miners’ “Five “Years’ Peace Plan” was accepted, in principle, at the coal talks held in Sydney during the past week. They said it had been agreed that when both of the Governments accepted the proposal, the Federal Government would repeal the Commonwealth war-time coal legislation, and would leave the matters of production and of safety in the State of New South Wales to the State Government. It had also been agreed that security of employment for five years would be one condition of the new control, with adequate provisions also to meet any risk of unemployment arising from the lessening of the production or from increased mechanisation. , , n In a joint statement, Mr Chifiey, Senator Ashley (Minister of Supply) and the New South Wales Premier, Mr. McKell. said that they had discussed a scheme of control with the Miners’ Federation representatives. Mr. Chifiey had indicated that the Commonwealth Government was prepared to examine all legal questions, involved in an arrangement to acquire and to distribute the New South Wales coal, and to give a guarantee of continuity of employment for. the workers in the industry. Mr. Chifiey and Mr. Ashley said that they were satisfied that such a scheme “could prove of benefit to the industry, could improve the output of the coal; could provide much needed stability, with a ready market, reasonable prices, for the coal produced in New South Wales, and also could guarantee certain employment to all of die men in the industry.” The mine owners decline to comment on the position.

MIXED RECEPTION REPRESENTATIVE COMMENTS (N.Z.P.A. Special Australian Correspondent) (Reed. 10.15 a.m.) SYDNEY. October 23. The new plan for the Commonwealth acquisition and distribution of all New South Wales coal for five years, has had a mixed reception, ranging from pleasure by the Miners Federation, to open doubt of its solving the coal problems by the mine owners and Federal Opposition leaders. For a long time now, Australia has had to suffer through shortage of coal. All through the war years the Miners’ Federation has undertaken to control its members and provide sufficient coal, but the average (yearly loss has been 1,400,000 tons. Since January this year, that average has already been exceeded. Under the new plan the Federal Government hopes production will be increased. The Minister of Supply (Senator Ashley) says the Government purchase of coal would stabilise coal production for mine-owners and guarantee miners continuity of work. "Employees in the coal industry are afraid they may go back to pre-war conditions of employment, in which the men worked as few as two days a week. If the sale of coal is guaranteed, owners will be able to make capital investments.” Senator Ashley added the owners would not be prepared to spend money mechanising the mines if they feared that the coal would be left on the °*rass« The General Secretary of the Miners’ Federation (Mr. Grant) said the plan would ensure that coal consumers all over Australia got a fair share of coal. He said the Federal Government would see that a proper balance was kept in the development of mechanisation, so that one company would not be able to spend huge sums and so squeeze out the smaller competitors. „ , , _ The Leader of the Federal Opposition (Mr. Menzies) said the real coal problem was production, not distribution. “The Government with its genius for seizing on the non-essen-tial has apparently decided to deal with the question of distribution by acquiring coal after it has been produced, and then distributing it.” The coal owners’ spokesman said there was nothing in the new plan to ppsure continuity of coal supplies, and adds: Unless there is some measure to cut out the continual stoppages, it all seems rather futile. The “Herald” also takes this view, iit savs: Tn itself the plan will not make'available one extra ton of coal. The record of the Miners’ Federation inspires no confidence in any improvement in output as a result of this proposed agreement. The statement announcing the new plan advances the pica that the proposed agreement will ensure for our coal “a readv market at reasonable prices.” What Australia needs desperately to-day, however, is coal for her industries, already operating on supplies 271 per cent below normal.

BUNNERONG TRUCE. SYDNEY. October 20. Union officials fear that a settlement of the Buiinsrong dispute will not last because no settlement of the shift work problem which caused the strike has been found. A meeting of powerhouse enginedrivers, who are key men, agreed to resume work only under protest. The enginedrivers have issued what is in effect "an ultimatum to the Federal Government, demanding the introduction bv November 30 of legislation to provide that shift men work four hours less a week than day workers. They also demanded that the inquiry into shift work ordered by Mr. Chifley should be made by a Royal Commission and not by an Arbitration Court Judge. If these .demands arc not met and the enginedrivers strike again, the Bunnerong powerhouse will automatically be idle.

STRIKE RESUMPTION (Recd. 11.40 a.mTSYDNEY, Oct. 23. A hitch has developed m the reemployment of three men at the Btinnerong Power House, and it is feared by some Union officials this might precipitate another stoppage. Six hundred strikers who resumeci work at Bunnerong at the week-end will hold a stop-work meeting to-day to consider the alleged victimisation of a returned soldier and two other men. Union officials have sought Federal intervention, because it is reported that County Council officers had refused to start an ex-serviceman and two other men when they reported for work yesterday. Mr. K. McLean, chairman of the Bunnerong Disputes Committee, said there was every possibility of the Bunnerong strike being resumed unless the men were re-engaged. He added that the former strikers were determined to stand by the three men. The General Manager of the County Council, Mr. D. Nolan, said that if there was any confusion about the re-employment of some men it could be quickly cleared up. N.Z. SHIP DELAYED BRISBANE, October 21. The New Zealand ship Baltraffic, V/hich had been held Up for six days

because the crew demanded more tea, left yesterday. The men were not given the extra ration. The crew’s request for 14 ounces of tea a week, against the Australian ration of two ounces, was refused last Monday by the rationing driector, and the men went on strike. They claimed that they were entitled to the New Zealand scale of 14 ounces. The secretary of the Seamen’s Union said the rationing commission was responsible for the ship being held up. The New Zealand articles stipulated that the crew was not to be rationed in any commodity. Consequently the shipowners, with the full knowledge of rationing in Auckland, should have made arrangements for the ship to be completely victualled before she left New Zealand. The deputy-commissioner of rationing said that if the men had been granted the extra tea every ship in Australia would have required the same ration. N.Z. GIRL WANTED

SYDNEY, October 22. To inform her that her mother is dangerously ill, detectives want to trace a girl who was charged in Melbourne earlier this month with having stowed away on a vessel that arrived from New Zealand, but who was later discharged. The girl is Phyllis Gibson, aged 19, but she may have, been married recently and may now be known as Phyllis Percival. The girl’s mother is dangerously ill in Wellington Hospital.