PROBLEMS OF THE MINES.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXVI, Issue 7563, 6 May 1919, Page 5

PROBLEMS OF THE MINES.

COMPENSATION CHEAPER THAN EFFECTIVE TIMBERING.

SIDNEY WEBB ON THE COAL.

INDUSTRY.

Received May £, 7.30 p.m

LONDON; May 3

Mr. Sidney Webb, under cross-ex-amination, admitted that he did not possess figures substantiating his assertion that it was cheaper to compensate accidents. He quoted a Home Office report showing that an accident in one mine was due to inadequate timber and contended that this single instance* justified the general assumption that the coal, owners refused to provide adequa,ta timbering owing to the cost being higher than was involved in compensating accidents. He believed there would be fewer accidents under nationalisation owing to the elimination! of ; profit-making motives. Mr. Webb declared that colliery managers were i shockingly destitute of ideas. Nobody connected with the coal industry had considered critically his nationalisation pamphlet. He had only been down a mine once.