Orders of the Day — Coal Situation.

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at on 17 March 1942.

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Photo of Sir Waldron Smithers Sir Waldron Smithers , Chislehurst

Am I not trying to do something to help the miners by pointing out that the inequality of their wages with wages in other industries is one of the reasons why they will not put their backs into their work? I want the Government to do something to secure equality of wages throughout the country. A further point is that, apart from voluntary absenteeism, the average shift output had been decreased from 1.62 cwts. in the Doncaster area to 3 cwts. in South Yorkshire. In the Doncaster Amalgamated Collieries alone the abnormal number of shifts being lost at the present is 3,400 per month at the coal face, and, together with a decrease in output per man, gives an approximate loss per month in output of 22,000 tons or 264,000 tons per annum. For South Yorkshire, the annual loss due to these causes is 2,250,000 tons. Another director points out that the difficulties with which the coal industry has to contend in these days include lightning strikes, sabotage and the refusal of men to co-operate in the production of coal. It is very difficult during a speech to give figures, but I wish to give a few figures, and I will put them as clearly and concisely as I can.