COAL MEASURES BILL
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE
P.A. WELLINGTON, Aug. 17. The Coal Bill was given a second reading in the House of Representatives to-day, after a division, by 36 votes to 32, and referred to the Goldfields and Mines Committee. The Minister of Mines, Mr McLagan continuing his reply to the second reading debate on the Bill, said that in the last three years under the Labour Government the loss of time worked in the mines because of industrial disputes amounted to 60,487 days, compared with 195,328 days lost in the last three years under the National Government.
Mr McLagan said that wages and conditions were incomparably better now than in previous years, and one would have thought that these improvements would have reduced the amount of time lost, but wages and conditions alone would not end disputes It would take time to eradicate the legacy bequeathed by previous Governments to the miners. The nationalisation of coal measures would, however,, help to lessen the time lost in the working of the mines. The Minister said that no privatelyowned coal mine could have shown a profit were it not for the subsidy it received. No company was making a profit equivalent to the amount of the subsidy it received. .. .
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Bibliographic details
Otago Daily Times, Issue 26853, 18 August 1948, Page 5
Word Count
208COAL MEASURES BILL Otago Daily Times, Issue 26853, 18 August 1948, Page 5
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