COAL INDUSTRY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 5 April 1926, Page 5

COAL INDUSTRY

PROSPECT OF SERIOUS CRISIS MINERS' STATEMENT {liy Llec'"r TPlepr&ph.--Copyright.) SEeuter'e Telegram*) LONDON. April :'-. A mem her of ihe miners' exeeuf i\ •.' slated that Ihe miners had given .'. reasoned repl\ In the owners' proposal--, but he emphasised that they were mil likely to lie accepted a nil 1 list' there was e\er\ prospect of a serious, crisis arising. OWNERS' VIEWS LONDON. April 2. It i.- learned i hat Mr Evan Williams chairman of Ihe Mining Association, informed the minors' executive that the ow ners' for Ihe sake of peace and a settlement were prepared to negotiate an agreement on national lines, hoi the ii'dustry must stand on its own foundation on an economic basis and could not he continued l>\ means of a < tovorimient subsidy. The owners' were i mphat ieally of opinion that an extension of working hours was an essential condition io restoring the indiisi r\. lie i mphasised the necessity for an increased output and proposed I hat each di-tri.- should lix its own minimum percentage. \ national board should set Ile Ihe qliesl ion of a tint ion 11 minimum over and above Ihe district minimum. The pn senl na t ionu 1 minimum of :::: I-:; per cent, need not necessarily be maintained. The owners' were opposed to compulsory amalguiiiiit ion. lint were prepared to consider voluntary amalgamation and reorganisation of the industry. They were opposed to any change in regard to byproduct-, and were agreed t hat ] nationalisation was impracticable. STATEMENT BY Ml NEILS' SECRETARY LONDON, April 3. The miners' secretary. Mr Cook, in it speech a t Pontefract. said: '"lt is clear that- the coal owners'are using the opportunity to declare war against the mining community. I say mosl plainly oid calmly Iha I a sei inn.-, crisis is involved. The owners' proposals wire worse thin last duly. We meet the council of the Trades Fliion Couglesson i hur.-'.i'iay . There is no reason to doubt that they will stand by us as they did in July when we heat bad; all the op posing forces. The crisis is not even natinna.l, it is international." I