COAL CRISIS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 10 July 1925, Page 5

COAL CRISIS.

NO GOVERNMENT SUBSIDY. SETTLEMENT NOT IN SIGHT. BY CABLE—PRESS ASSOCIATION —OOF Y RIGHT LONDON, July 8. The executive of the International Miners’ Federation, concluding its session in London after a discussion oil the world-wide coal crisis, decided to cal.' a further meeting of the committee in Paris on J uly 28 to decide on the form of joint international action if a settlement was not reached of the disputes in various countries. In the House of Commons, i n reply to a question, Mr Baldwin stated that tie was not considering granting a subsidy to the coal export trade. Replying to a communication from the president of the Alining Association, Mr Herbert Smith (of the Miners’ Federation) expressed the belief that no good purpose would be served by the respective sub-committees meeting on the mine-owners’ proposals prior to the annual conference of the federation next week, inasmuch as the federation had already indicated that there was no room for negotiations on this matter. It is understood that if no sett'ement to the coal dispute is reached shortly, the Minister for Labour, oil behalf of the Government, will ask the owner s and the miners to meet him. This failing, the Government wi'l refer the wages question to an industrial court of inquiry in order to inform the public of the respective viewpoints. RUINOUS CUT-THROAT COMPETITION. LONDON, July 8. In the House of Commons speaking on the Ministry of Labour estimates, Mr Hartshorn drew attention to the fact that whereas there were 38,000 unemployed in the mining industry last year there were 301,000 _ last month. He contended that the industry must he efficiently equipped and organised. Mr Lane Fox, replying, quoted figures in support of the contention that the level of efficiency was very high, because, although the wage per shift in Germany averaged 81 pence compared with 128 pence in Britain, the pithead costs were 208 and 226 pence respectively. The cessation of almost cut-throat competition was necessary, especially in the export trade.—A. and N.Z. Assn.