COAL INDUSTRY BILL

Greymouth Evening Star, 1 August 1946, Page 7

COAL INDUSTRY BILL

REPORTED DISLIKE BY BOTH SIDES VARIETY OF OBJECTIONS (Rec. 12.45 p.m.) CANBERRA, Augr 1. With representatives of the colliery proprietors and of the Miners’ Federation now in Canberra both objecting strongly to certain features of thd Coal Industry Bill, the Federal Government is in a difficult position. Instead of producing a compromise which would lead.to improvements in the coal industry, it has created a bill which is disliked by both sides. The miners will ask that one of the members of the proposed coal board of three should be a nominee of the federation. This strikes directly at.the principle that the members of the board should... be completely unconnected with the interested parties in the industry. The miners also want a new clause to give compensation and re-employ-ment for miners whose jobs might disappear with the application of mechanisation to the industry,, or any other action of the board; The miners’ spokesman will tell the Prime Minister, Mr. Chifiey, that the power to deprive men of the right to work in the industry is thoroughly obnoxious to the federation. A section of the caucus has already attempted unsuccessfully to have the disciplinary clauses deleted from the measure. The owners are concerned about the Government’s decision to withdraw part of the bill, including the provision of compensation payments to the owner of a mine taken undei control by the board.