§ 19. Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYasked the Secretary for Mines whether he was made aware of the terms of contract to be offered to the mineworkers lay the mineowners on the decontrol of the mining industry prior to the stoppage, or threatened stoppage, in the mines; whether he discussed these terms with the Mineowners' Association or representative mineowners; whether he discussed them with representatives of the mineworkers; and whether he was made aware of the danger of a stoppage of work at the mines by reason of such proposed reductions in wages?
§ Mr. BRIDGEMANThe principles upon which the coalowners proposed to frame their offers of wages to their workers were made clear in the report which they presented to the Government ton 26th March, and their general effect upon the wages paid in March was discussed at the separate meetings which the President of the Board of Trade had with representatives of the Mining Association and of the Miners' Federation on 30th March. It transpired that the owners' offers had not been the subject of negotiation in the districts, and the miners' representatives were urged to explore the situation further by those means. They announced, however, that unless the principles of a pool of profits and a State subsidy were conceded, they were not prepared to negotiate further, and a complete stoppage of all their members would take place after 31st March.
§ Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYAre we to understand that a Schedule was actually received of the wages it was proposed to offer, and did the Government approve of it or express any opinion about it?
§ Mr. BRIDGEMANHad the hon. and gallant Member listened to my answer, he would have realised that what I said was that the principles were made clear, and that the general effect upon the wages was discussed. The actual Schedule was not before us at that time.
§ Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYDoes that mean that if the mineowners had offered, for example, 20s. a week to a mine worker, the Government would have expressed no interest in the matter until there was a stoppage of work?
§ Mr. BRIDGEMANIt does not mean that at all. What I think the hon. and gallant Member does not understand is that we invited the two parties to negotiate on these wages, and go into every detail with all the available figures on the table, in order that the best possible wages that the industry could give might be available.