U.S. MINER'S LEADER

Grey River Argus, 21 March 1945, Page 3

U.S. MINER'S LEADER

AGAINST GOVERNMENT CONTROL BETTER PAY WITHOUT IT. (Rec i 9.50.) CANBERRA, March 19. Mr. John L. Lewis, United States coal miners’ leader, is opposed to the nationalisation of coal mines. This is disclosed in a report made to the Federal Cabinet bv the Australian Minister of Customs, Senator Keane, who recently visited America. With thirty-four thousand fewer men employed in the coal mining industry, the output in the United States has been raised from 460,000,000 tons in 1940 t0'615,000,000 tons in 1944. In talks with Senator Keane, Mr. Lewis emphasised the lack of Governmental interference with the American coal mining industry. Mr. Lewis said that the Government, had not paid one dollar in subsidy to open up new mines. He said his union favoured the mechanisation of the mines. Mr. Lewis told Senator Keane that the wages of the United States coal miners were three times those of the British miners, but said, that the American production of coal per head was. s’x times that of the miners in Britain.