§ 93. Lieut-Commander KENWORTHYasked the President of the Board of Trade whether the Yorkshire mine-owners and miners had agreed to an advance on piece rates of 14.3 per cent.; whether the Coal Controller declined to approve this agreement and fixed the rate of interest at 10 per cent.; whether he can state on what date strike notices were handed in; and who was responsible for the action of the Coal Controller?
§ Sir A. GEDDESI have no official information that the Yorkshire mine-owners and minors agreed to an advance in piecework rates of 14.3 per cent. I would, however, point out to the hon. and gallant Member that, even accepting, for the sake of argument, the figures put forward by the Miners' Federation, the advance in piece-work rates for Yorkshire could not work out at a higher figure than 12.2 per cent. I must not, however, be understood as in any way accepting or disagreeing with those figures. In reply to the second part of the question, no request 2102 was made to the Coal Controller by any party to approve any rate of increase. The Coal Controller was informed by the Mining Association of Great Britain, in a letter dated 20th June, that meetings had been held in most of the districts, but that no arrangement had been come to, and he was requested to inform the association whether piece-work rates were to be increased, and, if so, whether it was his intention to authorise the owners in each district to arrange the advances, subject to his confirmation. The Coal Controller gave instructions to the Mining Association of Great Britain, on the 26th June, that piece-work rates were to be increased by 10 per cent. when the reduction in hours was one hour, and proportionately for any lesser reduction in time worked, the increase in any district not to exceed 10 per cent. This instruction was modified on the 9th July to the extent that the 10 per cent, was to be an average over the whole country instead of a maximum. The strike notices in Yorkshire were handed in on or about the night of the 10th July. The Government accepts full responsibility for the action of the Coal Controller, and authorised all instructions sent out by him before issue.
§ Lieut. - Commander KENWORTHYMay I ask whether the instructions about this 10 per cent. were given only to the Mine-owners' Association and nut to the Miners' Federation, and, if that is the case, why notice was not given at the same time to the Miners' Federation and to the Yorkshire Miners' Union.
§ Sir A. GEDDESThere was no instruction issued at, all in the ordinarily-accepted sense of the word "instruction" that is to say, there was no instruction circulated. A letter was received and a reply was given to that letter.
§ Mr. CLYNESDoes not the right hon. Gentleman think that, if it be the fact that the Coal Controller never prevented an arrangement between the employers and the miners, there should have, been some official statement to prevent the public misapprehension which has arisen?
§ Sir A. GEDDESThere have been many official statements, but it is, unfortunately, the fact that some people do not pay much attention to official statements.
§ Mr. GRUNDYCan the right hon. Gentleman make inquiries to ascertain whether his statement is correct that the 2103 owners and the men had not agreed. I wish to say that the owners both of South and West Yorkshire and the representatives of the miners had agreed to an increase of 14.3 per cent, and it was only after they had agreed that they received an instruction from the Coal Controller. [HON. MEMBERS: "Question!"] That is the position.
§ Sir A. GEDDESNo; really the hon. Member is entirely misinformed. The owners were negotiating not on their own behalf but on behalf of the Government whose money, or rather the taxpayers' money, was at stake. They found out what the men's claim was, and then, exactly as I have said in this reply, they applied to the Government asking what they were to do. There was no agreement.
§ Mr. GRUNDYI hare it definitely. Are you aware I have a definite statement from Mr. Herbert Smith, the President of the Yorkshire Miners' Association, that the arrangement was made as I have said, and that the complaint is that the Coal Controller interfered too late, and that he ought to have interfered earlier before the negotiations.
§ Sir A. GEDDESNo.
§ Mr. GRUNDYI have the definite statement—[HON. MEMBERS: "Order."] I am only doing this to try and bring peace. I am sorry the position at present is that the coal-owners blame the Government for the delay, and the men are blaming the Government, and those two people are at a deadlock and waiting for the Government or the Coal Controller to make a move in the matter. I have it definitely that the owners had agreed.
§ Sir A. GEDDESIt is no new thing to hear that the Government is being blamed. That is the usual procedure in all these cases, but the facts are as I stated that the Coal Controller was informed by the Mining Association of Great Britain in a letter dated 26th June that meetings had been held in most of the districts but that no arrangement had been come to, and he was requested to inform the Association whether the piece rates were to be increased. Those facts are beyond dispute in writing, and documentary evidence exists to show that the letter was received and an answer sent. I quite understand why the hon. Member (Mr. Grundy) is asking these questions, and I 2104 appreciate that fully. With regard to the further point that there is what he calls a deadlock and delay, I do not think that is the case. There is now, or there was an hour ago, proceeding at Leeds a meeting, and I have no doubt it is still going on, at which this very difficult point is being discussed, and that meeting, I understand, is attended by three parties, the representatives of the men, the representatives of the Yorkshire employers, and the representatives of the Government, and we hope that that meeting will find some way out.
§ Mr. GRUNDYI have a document here—
§ Mr. SPEAKERPerhaps the hon. Member will show that document to the President of the Board of Trade.