REPARATIONS COAL.

Grey River Argus, 27 June 1922, Page 6

REPARATIONS COAL.

THE BRITISH COAL INDUSTRY QIASHEJ). i (Ry “Coal From Germany") Tli<’ Tullowing statement, appeared in a- lecont issue oj the Glasgow "Forward. .1L was jirepared by llu*. British Minors Federation, and submitted to Mr Lloyd George by the British Labour Party, prior to his visit to Carinos;— Ihe latest comparative figures ol export coal from the United Kingdom reveal a growing disparity between the coal exported in 1913 and in 1921. Ihe export of Britvh coal to Russia, during the eleven montn.s ended November .30, 191.3, was o,598,00(1 and in the eleven months ended November, 1921, 126,400 tons, or a net reduction of five and a hall million tons in eleven months. I'-xpoits to Germany i<n the eleven montns ended 30th NovemlxT, 1913, amounted to 8,300,000 Lons, as against 609,000 tons in the eleven months ended November, 1921, a reduction of nearly 8,0,00,000 tons of coal. Z 1 ho a.inouitt ol coa.l expctrt'ed to France, from this country during the ' eleven months ended the 30th November, 1913, was 11,676,000 tm.-.-, and in the- eleven months ending November, 1921, 5,161,009 tons of coal, or a net reduction of over 6.000,000 tons of coal. It will bo seen, therefore, that the . total loss of coal exports to Russia, Germany and Eradice, as compared with the pre-war period amounts to a fig : tire of I9A million tons ol voat. The ellect of this loss in export trade upon the exporting districts in the country is damaging to a. degree Nut only Ims it rmiden-d large numbers of men unemployed—anout ml,ooo mine workers are out of work in South Wales alone—but the cutting or prices in an attempt to recover tile ConlJnent'al ma.rke-t, and ])<'iirti^cu’jti»‘l,s.l the French market, has im-d an equally disastrous effect on the employed, most ol whom do not work mure! than four shifts }>er w<*ek. 'I he effect of the Spa Coal Agreement has been to damage materially the prospects uf trade recovery in the exporting districts of this country. Under the Agruemei/i., Germany is compelled to export to ih<> Allied countr:»“S 22.0(10,000 tons of coal jyer nnnum. This coal finds its way into Belgium, France, arid Italy, and in consequence oi the character of the "Treaty no cash transactions take place between the rei'oiving countries and the Gcrm*an (Government. Jhe respective Governments, however, in s<dling the coal to consumers in r.lieir countries charge them the current prices in their country. But if they (ire unable to dispose of it at r.<>me they re-export it lo other countries, and obtain the world price Hiereforv, the net effect oi this process is that coal being sold so cheaply in the , r./Uniric's rederred lo that British coal has to be sold at a price betow cost in order to find any kind of market at a*l. and only the better classes ol . British coal are able to secure a market, in view of tne large quantities of eual coming into these countries undur the Reparation Clauses. The- German Government is given credit for the coal so exported as a set--1 oil against toe reparation payable by her, but the price at which it is credited to her is tin- actual price at . which sinrlar classes of coal ai’e sold • in Germany, plus the freightages to the 1 frontier. When those priges are expressed in the rate of exchange of the Deceiving countries they ale coiii sidcrabiy below any price at w.nicii British exporters can sell their coal ’ a.s a paying propositimj. In our udgr ment, it is folly for this counny to • pursue a reparation policy which !.as ) j sudi a disastrous effect on our own ! i countrymen. It has been argued that , 1 if the German mine workers would ! only insist upon gutting a wage comi ’ mensurate with the increased cost I of living in Germany the price of Ger- , ’ man coal would necessarily be higher. i The plain fact is that the German mine • : worker at present ‘ works a. shorter working day than his English co-work-1 ers (the working day of the former > being seven hours, bank to bank), . and from time lo lime he Las eu.leav--1 oured lo secure such advances in wages as correspond with the ueconing ' mark and consequent increase in the cost of living On two occasion- , ths year has ha made, such application, but h:‘ has never been ab'e tc , secure the food claims which he set ■ forth. Krom time to lime he has ac- ! lually threatened to strike in orde: to secure a living wage, hut he has ' been met by the statement that a . strike of any magnitude would result ; :n ilm military occupation ol the Ruhr • | \ alley, wb'ch would of course have the effect ol teiarding rhe regular de- ■ li\ t! y of i. para l H.m coal to France. ■ j The expm t of a large quantity of ’ coni from Germany is, we are credibly informed, having disadvantageous ef- , foots upon their own home industries, ■ which aip being seriously crippled in consequence of the shortage in the sup ' ply of coal and the inferior quality I that haa io be used. This causes some amount of stagnat'ion in industry and ’this stagnation in turn prevents Ccr1 many from importing the usual quantities of coal from Groat Britain, which as has already been indicated, amounted to more titan 8.1 millions in the eleven months ending 30th November, 191.3. It is clear from the above that the ’only solution to the present difficulties affecting the export trade in coal from titis country is the drastic »’eppoqs 31 tjSnotpp? LQvvJj, <)tp jo uojsia

be said tlia.t all the miners who are members of the Interiiatiopal Aliners’ Federation, including German miners, are of op.tnion that any losses in coal ; caused by the French coal mines should I be made good (and it will undoubted--1 ly bo made good) from coal prottm-ed , in the German mines, and that coal payments should continue until French j production reaches its pre-war qu«ntI ritiies. The p’esent price of British oxI port u.j:i! is sin h as to have deHrntely excluded America from the European market, but the effect of the Spa agreement is to compel British exporters I to sell their own coal in Europe at a price which is entirely uneconomical, and which cannot .and does not yield | either a living wage for the men engaged in the export districts or the profit for the owners in those districts necessary for the continuous expansion of the industry. ’This state of affairs, in addition to the small amount of time worked in consequence of restricted markets, has placed the mining industry in Britain’s export districts in a position of penury. (NOTE.—The German miner in the to be working six days a week and nine Rhur Reparation Pits has been alleged hours a day.—ED.)