“Sustained Anarchy Disgraced Industry”

Manawatu Times, Volume 69, Issue 208, 2 September 1944, Page 5

“Sustained Anarchy Disgraced Industry”

(By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright.) (Special Australian Correspondent)

Received Friday, 9.40 p.m. SYDNEY, Sept. 1

A plan to discipline coalminers by making it difficult for them to strike without severe penalties being imposed upon them is expected to be submitted to the conference of industrial unions in Sydney. An appeal to the miners to end unauthorised strikes has already been made by the Metal Trades Federation of Unions representing 250,003 workers. Their plea said: “We declare to the miners that to the extent that production suffers from unauthorised strikes they are playing into the hands of the enemies of the Labour movement. These enemies utilise the coal crisis to cause divisions in the Labour movement, antagonise tbe middle class and undermine the Curtin Government. ’ ’

The appeal coincided with what is believed to be the best day’s coal production since 1942. The Commonwealth Coal Commissioner (Mr. Norman Mighell) said he hoped yesterday’s freedom from stoppages was a happy augury for the future. “This freedom from stoppages while the coal censure motion was being debated in the House of Representatives may have been a pure coincidence or the insurgent miners may have decided for the moment that they had gone a little too far in their sabotage of the war effort,” comments the Sydney Morning Herald editorially to-day.

“Whatever confidence may be felt or formally voted in the Government, tho country has none at all in the coalminers any more. They have forfeited public trust and goodwill and a day without strikes only serves to throw into more glaring relief the record of sustained anarchy which has disgraced the industry.”

With only one coalmine idle in New South Wales to-day, Australia’s coal crisis is being debated in the Federal House of Representatives at Canberra and by a conference of mining unions called in Sydney by tbe Australian Council of Trades Unions.

Addressing the conference the Minister of Labour (Mr. Holloway) said the next six months would be a critical period for war industries and transport. A coal output of 7,000,000 tons between now and Christmas was essential. Meanwhile continuing the House, of Representatives’ debate on the Opposition’s coal censure motion, the former Army Minister (Mr. Spender) suggested drastic remedies for recurrent stoppages, including the freezing of onion funds and the forfeiture of voting rights coupled with lighter taxation to induce greater production. Although there will be no interference with transport arrangements for

the first big spring race meetings in Sydney and Melbourne to-morrow, a ban on special trains and trains for all varieties of sport will be imposed next week. Mr. Curtin indicated to-day that a Commonwealth order banning such services to conserve coal will be issued in a few days. In defiance of a national security order by Mr. Curtin, the Sydney gas workers are to-day holding a special stopwork meeting to demand higher wages for certain employees. In a declaration from Canberra the Prime Minister said the men would- be prosecuted.