MINING STOPPAGES

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVIII, Issue 23288, 25 August 1945, Page 5

MINING STOPPAGES

Australia Held To Ransom SYDNEY. August 24. Severe rationing is threatened in all essential industries because of stoppages on the coalfields, said the Minister of Supply, Senator J. A. Ashley. He added that although he had met every “reasonable request" of the industry, stoppages on the coalfields continued to increase and a “state of anarchy” existed, resulting in Australia being held to ransom. Senator Ashley said that the reduction of services by the railways was only the first evidence of similar action which would probably have been taken by many other services throughout Australia. The position in other States dependent, on New South Wales supplies was, perhaps, a little worse than in that State. Senator Ashley announced that he had asked the Coal Commissioner, Mr N. IL Mighell, to take whatever action he thought fit to deal with trivial stoppages. “The time has now’ arrived to decide whether Australia’s whole rehabilitation programme is to be whittled down because of unreasonable and unjustifiable coalmine stop-

pages. I know there are two sides to disputes on the coalfields, but I want to emphasise that many of the most recent stoppages appear to have been completely unjustified," said Senator Ashley. Prosecutions have been launched against 25 miners who staged a stayin strike at Rhondda Colliery.