MINERS RESUME WORK SN N.S.W.: TROOPS' JOB ENDS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23024, 15 August 1949, Page 5

MINERS RESUME WORK SN N.S.W.: TROOPS' JOB ENDS

(N.Z.P A.—Rector —Copyright.) (11.15 a.m.) SYDNEY, Aug. 15. After producing 100,000 tons of coal in 12 days, troops stopped work in the open-cut mines early this morning.

The normal flow of coal to Sydney will begin today when the miners resume work after their seven weeks’ strike.

Though most, mines were fully 'manned this morning, it will be late today before all are at top production again.

The Minister of the Army. Mr. C. Chambers, conveyed the thanks of the Federal Government to the servicemen.

“By their outstanding performance in achieving the highest weekly production rate yet attained in the open-cuts, the servicemen have demonstrated their ability to play their part in a national emergency,” he said. “During the coal crisis it was clearly shown that the defence forces were efficient, well trained and readily available at short notice.”

The troops will have two days’ rest in addition to extra leave. The coal authority in Sydney stated that the troops who worked open-cuts in the northern and western fields would be used to develop new opencuts. They would remove the overburden while training near Lithgow and Singleton and unionists would remove the coal. The Joint Coal Board and the miners representatives will confer this week on means of raising the output of New South Wales coal.

The discussions will probably embrace the miners’ claims for a 35-hour week and a rise of 30s weekly. The board will ask the Miners’ Federation to work pillar sections with machines in selected mines, increase the daily output in mines where power borers are employed and allow men who reach the retiring age to work if they are willing and replace pit-top meetings with pit-top conciliation committees to deal with minor troubles.