COAL CRISIS

Otago Witness, Issue 3763, 27 April 1926, Page 35

COAL CRISIS

ACUTE STAGE REACHED. LONDON, April 22. The Coal Conference has broken down. The proceedings lasted 75 minutes. No further meeting has been fixed. The miners’ executive will meet this afternoon and place the situation before the Industrial Committee of the Trade Union Congress. It is expected that the Government will intervene almost immediately. Mr A. J. Cook (the miners’ secretary), in a statement, said: “Vv e met the coal owners at their request, Mr Evan Williar , president of the Mining Association, presiding. They definitely refused to discuss any minimum percentage being applicable to the coal fields nationally, and declared that wages would have to be based cn the economic capacity of the district affected. They refused to disclose the rates of wages and conditions to oe applied to districts, but stated that the subsistence wage would be revised and reduced, and announced their intention of posting at the pitheads the proposals upon which the men could work from May 1.” Mr Cook added that that meant a complete deadlock. He decribed the employers as being adamant as at the last meeting. It is announced that notices intimating the new rates of wages will be posted at the pitheads on various dates commencing to-morrow. Mr Lee, secretary of the Mining Association, in a statement regarding the conference, says the miners made it clear that they were not prepared to negotiate except on the basis of a uniform national percentage. The owners said they did not want to reduce wages, but in some districts, especially the exporting ones, the industry was in desperate straits owing to the competitive conditions oh taining abroad. This was really the crux of the whole position. The miners were quite adamant gn the question of no extension of hours. It is learned on the highest authority that thy Prime Minister .again emphasised to the owners the fact that the subsidy woul I terminate on May 1 To what extent there may be temporary assistance will depend entirely upon the situation arising out of the present negotiations .L is antiepated that ‘the Government will now intervene and summon the two parties together, as was done last July. MR BALDWIN’S MEDIATION. LONDON, April 23 Practically no progress was made at the morning s conference between the coal owners and the miners, over which Mr Baldwin presided. l’he owners, cn leaving the conference, said that they were returning to their districts forthwith. Each side adopted the Prime Minister’s suggestion, and ap pointed a small committee to carry on the negotiations, with which Mr Baldwin will keep in touch. Mr Baldwin, in conferring with the owners arid miners emphasised that they must boar in mind that he represented neither side, but the country, which was much mere important than either. They must also remember that they would have eventually to negotiate, which would be much more difficult after a stoppage Having heard the respectiv • statements, the Prime Minister said: “It is quite plain that the owners and miners will tie tuemseJves into a prettv tight knot My job is to get the knot untied or cut. It is perfectly impossible to reach a settlement in an assembly of this kind; therefore, I suggest that within two hours each side should appoint sub-commit-tees, which will keep themselves at my disposal. We must not forget that we are working with a time limit.” It is understood that the Mines De partment has prepared a loan scheme, upon which the Government, the owners, and the miners will each provide one-third of th<» interest. The loan is contingent upon a reorganisation of the industry, in cludin the closing of non paying pits. In the ooursg- of the afternoon and even ing. Mr Baldwin continued his conversations at a separate meeting with the small committees of the miners and coal owners. He requested both to hold them selves in readiness for further consults tion. The Miners' Federation has called a special delegate conference at London on April 28 to decide the miners’ policy. The Miners’ Executive conferred for three hours this afternoon with the Industrial Committee of the Trade Union Congress and fullv reported all the events resulting from the Prime Minister’s intervention. The meeting decided to call a conference of the executives of all the unions affiliated with the Trade Union Congress at London on April 29 in ordei that the whole trade union movement might be fully informed of the position General satisfaction is expressed that Mr Baldwin has taken the situation in hand. Moat shrewd observers are of opinion that the matter could not have been settled without Government intervention, since the amount of temporary assistance which the Government prom ised after the discontinuance of the subsidy is unknown, and the owners naturally are unable to take such assistance into account in drawing up the new wage rates. Consequently these caused consternation in tne miners’ ranks. According to the Daily Herald, even the owners admitted that the wage pro vided is small. Mr Evan Williams, the owners’ chairman, is reported" to have said: it is a miserable wage that we are proposing. If von wn«|d consider a longer working day we might be able to pay a decent wage.** The Herald says that the reductions range from Is a day on an average wage in Yorkshire to 2s lOd in South Wales, while some grades loss as much as 6s.