OUTSTANDING SPEECH

Taranaki Daily News, 20 December 1929, Page 11

OUTSTANDING SPEECH

MR. GRAHAM'S FINE FEAT GRASP OF COAL PROBLEM BILL’S UNCERTAIN FATE : British Wireless. Rec. 5.5 p.m. Rugby, Dec. 18. The President of the Board of Trade, Mr. William Graham, moved the second reading of the Coal Mines Bill in the House of Commons, in which members’ benches and the special galleries were crowded; Mr. Graham’s speech, lasting for an hour and a-half and delivered without a..single note to aid his memory, is warmly praised byOpposition papers, not only for its conciliatory tone and frankness, but as an outstanding - Parliamentary -achievement, displaying a most intimate knowledge of an intricate question. The Bill treats of marketing schemes, reduction of the working day and the setting up of a national'industrial board.' A central marketing council is proposed to control- a score of district . marketing schemes allocating the- quota of the output to each district, and the district bodies in their-turn are to allocate the output of the separate pits. The Board of Trade will control the marketing schemes intimately and the central body, consisting wholly of coalownera, will have power to impose levies for the cost of the schemes and to enforce them with penalties. The central council may also .collect from district boards, levies to promote the export of coal and .the sale of coal in special home markets.

. The Bill, reduces the working, day to seven and a-half hours as from next April and establishes a. national board to deal with wages on the lines of the Railway Wages Board. Newspapers state that Mr. Graham’s speech was in particular addressed to the Liberals in the hope of securing-their support for the measure. ; . The Liberal Sir Herbert Samuel, who as chairman of the Coal Commission of four yeans ago is a recognised authority on the subject, adversely criticised details of the Labour scheme, which he said was wholly contrary to the commission’s report. He emphasised the need for power to compel colliery amalgamations in . place of the proposal to establish a commission to study the question of amalgamations. .He concluded by addressing a series of specific questions on the Bill, which were answered later bj T -the Minister of Mines, Mr. Ben Turner. They are being considered by the Liberal leaders today. . ' . ■ .. . ... Newspapers anticipate that the Liberals will not oppose the second reading, which will be put. to the. vote to-morrow. LIBERAL PARTY’S DECISION. CERTAIN ASSURANCES SOUGHT. Rec. 7.30 p.m, London, Dec. 8. A meeting of the Liberal Party decided to vote against the second reading of the Coal Bill to-morrow unless the Government gives a satisfactory assurance on the points .which Sir Herbert Samuel raised yesterday.. ’