COAL CONFERENCE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 15322, 18 September 1920, Page 5

COAL CONFERENCE.

' MORE CONCILIATORY. TONE. Elec. Tel. Copy rlgfti— United Press Assn,. LONDON, Sept, 17. The conference between Sir Robert Home- and the Miners' Federation was the most conciliatory on both sides that has occurred during the present crisis. After meeting m the morning the- conference adjourned at mid-day for two hours, .during which period »Sir Robert Home saw Mr Lloyd George. An official account of the proceedings shows that the men submitted a proposal for an immediate concession on tho -yages demand; secondly, no increase m the price of home-consumed coal owing to the. foregoing; thirdly, the appointment of a., representative tribunal to in-; quire into tlie question of reducing the price of dpmestitt coal, with the Government, undertaking to accept its report.; fourthly, iut inquiry into tho cause of the declining output. _ The executive also expressed its desiro to accept tho Government proposal for an inquiry with a view to revising the present complicated system of calculating wages. Mr Smillie m this connection' admitted tho substitution of fixed rates for piece rates was one of the causes of tho declining output, but said that if piece rates were adopted the men ;wantcd security against reduction of those rates as the output increased.. Sir Robert Home, m reply, cordially agreed with the justice of the last demand, and said that the other proposals were a great advance towards a peacej: ul settlement, especially the way the. men had coupled the question of an increase m wages with the suggestjon as regards, increased output, but there was rib pos- 1 sibilitv of accepting the third proposal. A further discussion "revealed a sharp difference of opinion ori the subject of the demand for an immediate increase m wages. Sir Robert Home refused to agree to this without a prior investigation' by an impartial tribunal. Mr Smillie declared this must be settled 'before the. other demands. He considered it was useless to try to*get the miner-/ conference to postpone the strike unless-ho could tell it tho wages demand had been granted. Sir Robert Home agreed that if an increase m output were assured an advance m wages could doubtless be given. The conference adjourned until to-mo*r- ! row.— A, and N.Z.C. A,