THE DOMINION'S COAL

Sun (Christchurch), Volume III, Issue 882, 7 December 1916, Page 9

THE DOMINION'S COAL

A SERIOUS POSITION.

MINERS FIX MAXIMUM OUTPUT

[Special to The San.l WELLINGTON, December 6. The situation with regard to the eoalminers remains obscure. It is stated here to-day on apparently g6od authority that there will be no general strike of miners, and. men already out may be expected to resume work during the next week or 10 days, but the ground for this statement is uncertain, and in the meantime? the position is serious. The Dominion has comparatively little coal in hand, and the supply is being reduced, both by cessation of work at some of the mines, and by the action of the miners in fixing 17/6 as the maximum day's earnings. Good men can earn more than that at thie present hewing rates, and the maximum, in effect, means a limitation of output. In face of these facts a straightout strike with a clear-cut issue might be preferable to the present position. From the point of view of the national interest a strike would be settled within a limited time, and production on an adequate scale could then proceed. The reduction of production over a long period would have the effect of draining the stocks at present in the Dominion, without bringing about a settlement. The Government and the mine owners, it need hardly be said, do not want a general strike, and the leaders of the miners appear to be at one with the employers on this point, but the dangers of the present position are apparent.