ALL MINES WORKING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26226, 9 August 1946, Page 5

ALL MINES WORKING

PEACE IN NEW SOUTH WALES FOURTH OCCASION THIS YEAR (Rec. 11 p.m.) SYDNEY, Aug. 8. F9r the first time since June 7 every colliery in New South Wales is working to-day. This is the fourth day this year that all mines have been in operation, the other two being January 11 and January 25. To-day’s cleansheet follows appeals by the miners’ leaders, the Government, and fellowunionists whose jobs are in jeopardy. The central industrial authority, Mr 'A. C. Willis, told the miners’ conference that a mine worker who, refused to accept union discipline was as much a “ scab ” as a strike-breaker. The Miners’ Central Council, which resumed its deliberations to-day, is expected to approve the Coal Bill.

NATION-WIDE CRISIS

THREAT TO OTHER WORKERS SYDNEY, Aug. 8. State Labour Ministers are outspoken about the impending chaos because of the coal and transport crisis. Mr J. M. Baddeiey, who is Deputy Premier, Minister of Mines, and first general president of the Miners’ Federation, told coal miners that they must put their shoulders to the wheel, because 25,000 workers might lose their jobs next week. To a meeting of the State Parliamentary Labour Party, the Minister of Transport, Mr O’Sullivan, said that thousands would soon be unemployed unless emergency measures were taken to bring timber to Sydney. The railways had only enough coal to haul 15,900 trucks a week, which meant they could not transport steel, timber, cement, sand, metal, gravel, concentrates, or lime. Mr F. G. Hamilton, member for Naomi, reported to the caucus that unless transports were made available to carry fodder to stock in the droughtstricken North-west New South Wales, stock valued at £1,000,000 would die within a fortnight. Arrangements to use shipping to move timber from tl?e north coast have been announced. Meanwhile coal production is still being lost, but there has been an improvement.