COAL TRADE DISPUTE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21411, 12 August 1931, Page 8

COAL TRADE DISPUTE

THE MINERS DEFENDED MINISTER’S REMARKS RESENTED. (From Our Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, August 11. Labour’s viewpoint in respect to the coal stoppage on the West Coast was given in the House of Representatives to-day, when Mr R. M'Koen (Wellington South) attacked the Minister of Railways (Mr W. A. Veitch) for a speech last week, in which Mr Veitch had blamed the miners for a shortage of coal, and the resultant Australian importations. This statement was unworthy of a Minister, he said. It showed the spleen of the man. Mr Speaker: Order! Mr M'Keen: It shows the spleen of the Minister regarding a certain class of workers. He made the statement that the miners were responsible for the position of the coal industry in this country, and that the difficulty on the West Coast was on account of the lack of continuity of service given by the miners. The Minister knows this is untrue. Mr Speaker: Order! You must withdraw that. Mr M’Keen: Very well, I withdraw but the Minister attempted in the most bitter fashion to lay the responsibility for the position at the door of the miners. I would like to point out that he, as a Minister of the Crown, was lacking in his duty when he did not compel the mine-owners of this country to supply the quantities of coal which his department had under contract. I believe the Government was in conspiracy with the mine-owners in this connection, otherwise it could have compelled the coal companies to fulfil their contracts. The companies did not fulfil the contracts, and to-day we have the Minister castigating the miners and claiming that they are responsible. It is not fair; it is not playing the game. I regret very much the bitter attack of the Minister. Mr Semple: No one takes him seriously.