ADVOCATES PUBLIC OWNERSHIP OF COAL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19134, 29 July 1930, Page 1

ADVOCATES PUBLIC OWNERSHIP OF COAL.

INTERNATIONAL TRADE FRIENDSHIP IS URGED. {United Tress Assn.—By Electric - Telegraph—Copyright.) RUGBY", July 27. “ Already, in important districts, the Government are getting into ;ouch with the wholesale and retail coal trade and, if the Government should continue in office and get a majority, their next legislation will be to complete the structure of public ownership and public control,” said the President of the Board of Trade, Mr William Graham, in a speech at a demonstration of miners at Durham yesterday, when referring to the Coal Mines Bill. “We will then deal with the wholesale and distributing trades, following which legislation will be passed to wipe out a great deal of the redundancy in the intermediary elements and place coal at the disposal of the people and industry on the very best terms consistent with justice and fair play to the mining community.”

“ We are looking forward to a time,” he added, “ when the British Government will be able to speak to kindred Governments in Germany and Poland and say unitedly: ‘No longer do we cut one another’s throats in meeting the legitimate needs of the people.’ We propose to make our national co-opera-tion international, because the great industries are no longer .in opposition.” Concluding, Mr Graham said that the Government . hoped that time would be found in the next Parliamentary session for a Bill to nationalise mining royalties.