MINE STOPPAGES

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21550, 1 November 1944, Page 4

MINE STOPPAGES

SERIOUS N.S.W. LOSSES HOPE OF IMPROVEMENT ministryTriticised (Special Australian Correspondent.) (10 a.m.) SYDNEY, Nov. 1. Hopes of an improvement in Australian production have followed file gazetting of a national security regulation to validate the decisions of the deal Reference Boards. Earlier, the High Court had reversed an award-by a northern New South Wales coal tribunal granting pay increases to miners at certain northern mines. The court held that the new award contravened the war-time wage-pegging laws. The Government.believes that fine new validating regulation will remove one big grievance among the miners who claim that they are not seeking the repeal of the wage-pegging laws but merely a correction of anomalies. The ballot for positions on the Miners’ Federation executive, closing to-day, is likely to have an important bearing on the future of the industry. The return of Mr. H. Wells as president would be an indication that the miners generally believe in the policy of full production for war-time needs and a reduction of stoppages to those considered unavoidable by the executive. The defeat of Mr. Wells might be a sign that the miners who believe in direct action have gained a majority. Yesterday only five New South Wales mines were idle, but the total coal losses for October have exceeded 175,000 tons. Heaviest Losses of Year The heaviest coal losses this year were in January and March, the tonnages lost being 200,000 and 187,000 respectively. During the last two years not a single week has beet* "free of strikes in the New South Wales coal mines. This year has seen 433 separate stoppages. In the first eight months of the year the coal losses exceeded 1.000,000 tons, cornoared with 1.250,000 tons lost in 1943. Up to the end of last month, the New South Wales coal production is about 300,000 tons behind the output l’o’- the corresponding period last year and more than 1,000,000 tons behind that of the peak output in 1942. The best working effort this year lias been made by the miners of the western district. Despite the heavy loss on this field because, of the Portland “butcher girl” strike, the western pits this year have produced 1,242,000 tons —119,500 tons more than the figures to September, 1943 and only 9000 tons behind the record figures for the first nine months of 1942. Pensions Scheme Withheld

Tire Prime Minister, Mr. J. Curtin, has not commented on the present coal position beyond saying that until the miners have reached a production of 1.200.000 tons a month, the Government would not implement the proposed Federal pensions scheme. “Mr. Curtin has just got to make some definite effort to end the lawlessness which has brought _ Australia to the gravest industrial crisis of a generation.” says the Daily Telegraph in an editorial. ‘‘lf we need 1,200.-000 tons of coal a month to keep industry moving, Mr. Curtin s obligation as head of the Government is to get it. The truth is that the Government, without coal reserves, is frightened of a show-down. Timid Ministers fear a complete industrial stoppage if the Government employs ali its powers under the law to discipline the strikers. The Government's weal, policy is allowing industrial pressure groups to inflame a potentially revolutionary situation which might easily get right out of hand. We must restore the rule of law and order and discipline ourselves as a nation Ic Work harder and think harder. It wo cannot restore the rule oi. law to make a mere 20,000 men do what the Government, representing 7,000,000 says they must do, then we do not deserve to survive.”