BRITISH COAL CRISIS

Grey River Argus, 3 June 1942, Page 3

BRITISH COAL CRISIS

POLITICAL ISSUE Strikes for Wage Rise [Aust. & N-Z. Cable LONDON, June 1. There have been twenty thousand coal miners on strike in the north of Britain. The dispute continues, but for the present some thousands of miners, who are striking, have returned to work pending a decision. As th e result of the Government’s and the miners’ leaders’ joint appeal, twelve hundred men and boys after a week’s stoppage, returned to work at the Seaham Collieries. “The Yorkshire Post” says: Fifteen collieries in Yorkshire alone were involved in strikes during the last fortnight, chiefly over wage demands. A serious aspect is the miners’ officials apparent loss of control. Coal and the question of rationing fuel and light is one of the chief domestic questions “The Economist” observes. A battle for political power is now going on behind the scenes. At present, it is raging round the coal industry. , [l'he “Evening Standard” comments that coal politically is dynamite. Cabinet is now considering the miners’ demands for increased wages. One of Britain’s great needs at the moment is increased coal output, lor while rationing domestic and industrial consumers is essential, it is not thought that this measure is enough to meet the situation. It is realised that some time will elapse before rationing can start, for which reason a save fuel campaign is being introduced. There is nothing new about coal disputes in Britain. It has been the subject of fierce political and industrial strife for many years, but it is again brought to the limelight as the result of the great demand for coal, shortage of labour, and comparison of wages with other war. industries. More will certainly be heard about I coal, and fuel rationing. The “Scotsman,” in a leader, says: It should not be necessary to hold up production, during wartime, over wages, but th e Government is partly to blame, for not introducing a national wage policy. The lack of such policy enabled miners to point to the fact that other classes of workers were doing less strenuous and less disagreeable work, were more highly remunerated.