BRITISH COAL CRISIS

Otago Witness, Issue 3774, 13 July 1926, Page 30

BRITISH COAL CRISIS

APPROACHING A CLIMAX. LONDON, July 4. Mr A. J. Cook, the miners’ secretary, speaking at Widnes, said that the strike •would be won or lost during the next fortnight. They would have to stop the railway employees from handling imported coal. A settlement could not be discussed while the Eight Hours Bill remained. If the men accepted longer hours they would have to get a new secretary. CONCILIATION URGED. LONDON, July 4. “I am not ashamed that I grovelled for peace,” said Mr J. H. Thomas in his first speech since the. strike at the annual Railway Conference. ‘‘The vulgar abuse of me and other leaders will not be a substitute for round-the-table coal negotiations. I am most confident that there are the terms of an honourable settlement in the Coal Commission’s report. It would be blind and foolish to achieve submission through starvation, nor will mere slogans bring industrial peace, which does not lie in that direction. 1 ’ NEW WAGE NOTICES. LONDON, July 5. Though the majority of the owners will not post the notices concerning the new wages until the Eight Hours Bill has passed the Lords, the Warwickshire coalowners have offered to reopen the collieries, the of men working on the subsistence arrangement being unchanged, and those of piece workers being 10s 8d per shift, coal getters and timber men 9s sd, and fillers 8s 9d. All these are rather more than the pre-strike rates. Meetings of the Warwickshire miners on Sunday carried resolutions against the offer. The notices posted in Yorkshire are likely to be based on the pre-stoppage wages except for the withdrawal of the extra percentage to piece workers. The Northumberland, Durham, and Scotfish coal-owneTS are undecided. The Government will shortly present in the House of Commons supplementary estimates covering the purchases of coal from the Continent in order to safeguard the essential services. It is hoped that this will be merely a bookkeeping transaction as the coal has been sold to the companies concerned. USE OF FOREIGN COAL. LONDON, July 4. The Daily News says that the imports of foreign coal are checking the decline in British manufactures. Engineering firms are carrying on and are using imported materials, but orders for all products are generally slackening off. Bradford textiles are suffering slow strangulation. LENGTH OIF WORKING DAY. BERLIN, July 4. Mr Frank Hodges addressed a miners’ conference at Saarorucken, urging an international agreement for the sale and distribution of coal. He appealed for a reduction of the German miners’ eight hours day to the British level. The Germans refused, pointing out that British *and German hours could not be compared as the German hours included the time spent in reaching work. RUHR COALFIELDS BENEFITED. BERLIN, July 4. The Prussian Ministry of ConiTnerce emphasises the improvement in the Ruhr goal industry owing to the British strike. The sales at borne and abroad increased by JO per cent, in June and many long con

tracts at good prices were booked. There has also been a general industrial improvement owing to the slackness of British manufacturers who lack coal. EFFECT OF EIGHT HOURS BILL. LONDON, July 5. In expectation that the Eight Hours Bill will receive the Royal assent by Wednesday, several coal-owners have announced the new terms to the miners, affecting 189,000 men in Yorkshire, 125,000 in 9cot. laud, 67,T00 in Forest of Dean, and 20,000 in Warwickshire. The Cabinet Coal Committee met to-day It is understood that the Government is awaiting reports from various districts regarding the men’s response to the new terms. LABOUR OPPOSES CONTINUANCE. LONDON, July 5. When the House of Commons was considering a motion by Sir W. JoynsonHicks (Home Secretary) that the Emerfency Regulations should continue in force ir H. H. Slesser led a Labour attack on the motion. He urged that it was an insult to suggest that these interferences with common law were now necessary. Thev practically amounted to martial law. Sir W. Joynson-Hicks pointed out that the regulations were used much less last month, but there were people who were trying to stir up trouble. A recent speech by Air Cook threatening that not a single man should go down the pits was one reason why the Government wanted the regulations to continue. The debate was continued all night through a quorum was maintained with difficulty. The motion was finally closed and carried by 181 votes to 64. PASSAGE OF MEASURE DELAYED. LONDON, July 6 In the House of Lords the Eight Hours Bill pased its second reading By 176 votes to 17. REASON FOR NEW MOVE. LONDON, July 7 There is much discussion in the lobby over the change of plan in regard to the Eight Houts Bill. The action of the Government is interpreted as a gesture of sympathy with the miners and disapproval of certain owners who are seeking to impose a reduction of wages as well as an increase of hours, particularly the Yorkshire owners, who are changing the percentage rates from 87 per cent, wages and 13 per cent profits to 85 per cent, wages ana 15 per cent, profits. The Government never contemplated interference with these percentages. Some areas, including Scotland, propose the withdrawal of the bonus for piece workers (which was given to compensate for lost time) when the eight hours is granted. The Government (ias no intention of withdrawing the Bill, but proposes that it shall not pass from its control until it is satisfied that the ooal-owners in all districts are giving the miners a square deal. Mr Baldwin is already putting pressure on the Yorkshire owners. PASSAGE OF MEASURE PROCEEDS. ' LONDON, July 7. In the House of Lords, Viscount Cecil announced that as the Yorkshire mineowners had fallen into line regarding the ratio of wages and profits the Ministry would not delay the passage of the Eight Hours Bill which has passed the Committee stage and will come up for its third reading to-morrow. FOREIGN COAL SUPPLIES. LONDON, July 7. In the House of Commons during the debute on the £3,000,000 vote for the pur-

chase of foreign coal to preserve the essen. tial services the Government spokesman declared that when the coal arrived it would go to the small consumer and not to the railways or other large undertakings which were capable of fending for themselves. He declined to specify the methods of purchase lest attempts should be made to increase the price. He declared that even the tonnage was being bought privately and the transactions were being effected as secretly as possible. Mr G. H. Hall (Labour) moved the reduction of the vote by £IOO. He protested against the exploitation of the Germr i miners to defeat their British comrades. The amendment was rejected bv 243 votes to 118 and the vote was carried. The House also agreed to the supplementary estimate of £433,000 in connection with expenditure arising out of the general strike. PASSAGE OF HOURS BILL. LONDON, July 8. The Eight Hours Bill was read a third time in the House of Lords, and afterwards received the Royal assent. When the final stage of the Bill was reached in the House of Lords Lord Parmoor and Lord Arnold lengthily discussed the measure. Viscount Cecil walked out, leaving the Earl of Balfour the sole occupant of the Treasury benches. Finally the Marquis of Salisbury walked in and angrily moved the closure saying it was obvious what the opponents of the Bill were doing. Lord Arnold persisted and a group of members of the House of Commons standing at the bar cheered him. The Chancellor, amid hubbub, said he would put the motion on his own responsibility. The Commoners kept up the interjections, and the Chancellor finally ordered the clearance of the bar. The Commoners slowly dispersed and the closure was carried bv 44 votes to four. Lord Arnold demanded a division on the third reading but did not persist and the measure passed its third reading without a division. The members of the Commons were then summoned to the House of Lords to hear the Royal Wararnt read. This was punctuated by coughs, subdued remarks, and cries of protest from a group of miner Commoners. A heated incident followed. As the members of the Commons were filing back through the lobby the Conservatives and Labourites engaged in lively verbal interchanges. The Mr E. R. Bird, suddenly turned, shouting “Did you say that of me?” and struck out at Mr P. Gardner (Labour), who was behind him. Other members intervened and pievented a conflict. Mr iJ. Kirkwood (Labour), later sought to adjourn the House to discuss the incident, but he was ruled out of order. A GLEAM OF HOPE. LONDON, July 8. A movement is afoot to get a special Delegate’s Conference of miners summoned. Some of the men’s leaders hope that the result will be a declaration by the miners in favour of the Royal Commission’s report as a basis f<y a settlement. MONEY FROM RUSSIA. MOSCOW, July 8 An official of the Trades Association Agency announces that the Central Council of the Russian Labour Unions has resolved to transfer to the British Miners’ Federation 370,000 roubles collected from the members of the Soviet Labour Unions.