BRITISH COALMINING.

Waikato Times, Volume 106, Issue 17836, 8 October 1929, Page 7

BRITISH COALMINING.

ORDERS FOR ITALY.

INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT.

ADVOCATED BY MINISTER,

(Official Wireless.) RUGBY, October 6. In a speech at Edinburgh the president of the Board of Trade, Mr William Graham, said the agreement reached at the Hague whereby Italyguaranteed to order 1,000,000 tons of coal a year from Britain for three years at the "best British export prices was new business. It was hoped that- it would be the means of enabling coal exporters to re-establish themselves in other parts of the Italian markets. Further safeguards had been introduced for Britain while German deliveries in kind were to continue for the next 10 years if Germany’s financial recovery was maintained. There would be no deliveries in kind after that period. Only in the event of a breakdown in cash transfer could they be restored. The immediate object must be to secure an international agreement as to working conditions, including hours, wages and other elements. Steps had now been taken to convene at Geneva a conference of Governments, coalowners and representatives of the miners for the express purpose of preparing the way, if possible, for an international convention on this subject. The next step was to secure as much reduction in existing tariffs as was possible. That.might be achieved by an agreement between individual countries or in groups of commodities, such as agricultural implements which linked the factory and the field.

There was no suggestion of a European federation or an agreement by way of retaliation or counterblast to the United States. A policy of that kind could only undermine the great work in which the Prime Minister, Mr MacDonald, was now engaged in. Conditions In Mines. The governing body of the International Labour Office decided yesterday to convene on January 6 a preparatory technical conference on the conditions In mines. It is to consist of delegates from Britain, France, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Spain and Czecho-Slo-vakia. The delegates will represent the interests of the Governments, the employers and the workers in each country. The governing body will foe represented by three of its members who will attend the meeting as observers without the right to vote. The conference will have to advise the governing body what questions as to labour conditions in coal mines are ripe for international agreement. The governing body adopted the British proposals in this connection with slight modifications.

After the January conference the question will be considered whether a special European conference shall be convened or whether the matter shall be put on the agenda of the next International Labour Conference.