COAL PROFITS

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIX, Issue 254, 25 September 1929, Page 7

COAL PROFITS

COMMISSION’S FINDINGS. REFUSAL INDICATED. NO WAGE REDUCTION. (United Press Association.—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) Received September 25, 10.50 a.m. SYDNEY, Sept. 25. The first direct move to refuse to accept the findings of the Royal Commission on the coal profits came from a combined meeting of the Hepburn Nos. 1 and 2 mines. The miners stated that under no circumstances were they prepared to accept a reduction in wages, or an alteration in conditions, and were confident that the miners’ leaders would refuse to compromise in any way.

CABINET CONSIDERATION.

GOVERNMENT’S PROPOSAL,

SYDNEY, Sept. 24. The State Cabinet to-day considered the Coal Commission’s report, after which the Premier, Mr T. R. Bavin, sent a letter to Mr Davies, general secretary of the Miners’ Federation, asking if the combined unions were prepared to accept the Government’s proposals of September 14 of last year. The proposals provided for a reduction of one shilling per ton in wages, equal to twelve and a half per cent, off contract earnings and a shilling per day off other labour, the State Government to reduce handling and haulage charges to the extent of 25d per ton, and the Federal Government to pay a bounty of one shilling per ton on coal sent to inter-State ports. Mr McDonald, secretary of the Associated Northern Colliers Proprietors, stated that the commission’s report showed clearly that there was no ground whatever for wild talk as to the profits from these mines being from 5s to 9s per ton. Nothing would convince political and industrial agitators to the contrary, so the country had been put to the huge expense of the commission’s inquiry, which, after exhaustive investigations, had found the position very much as stated by the Government a year ago.