§ 12. Mr. GORDON MACDONALDasked the Secretary for Mines whether, in view of the refusal of the Mining Association to consider along with the Miners' Federation of Great Britain any question of the wages position as it will arise at the end of the present arrangement between the Government and the Association in July of this year, he will state what action the Government intend to take in this matter?
§ Mr. E. BROWNI am not prepared to assume, as the hon. Member apparently does, that wages difficulties will arise in the mining industry next July. Wages are regulated by district wage agreements, and I know of no case in which it is proposed to seek an alteration of the existing agreement in July. In these circumstances I do not understand in what direction and for what reason the hon. Member suggests that the Government should take action.
§ Mr. MACDONALDIs it the intention of the Government to assist the Miners' Federation to bring about national negotiation with the Mining Association on wages?
§ Mr. BROWNThe hon. Member knows that that has been the policy of the Government from the beginning. He also knows that meetings have taken place on a national basis on other questions, and he will further realise that, apart from compulsory arbitration, it is not so easy to rebuild these things as it is to break them down.
§ Mr. MACDONALDMay we take it that the Government disapprove of the action of the coalowners in refusing to negotiate on wages nationally
§ Mr. BROWNThe answer to that question is that it is the Government policy to assist in every way a national agreement on the wages question in the mining industry.
§ Mr. T. WILLIAMSIs the hon. Gentleman not aware that a letter was received in his Department on 9th February from the Miners' Federation intimating that the coalowners had point-blank refused to negotiate with the Federation on wages?
§ Mr. BROWNI have already answered that question. I have pointed out that, apart from compulsory arbitration, it is difficult to see what other useful steps we can take.
§ Mr. WILLIAMSOn a point of Order. A colleague of the Minister misled the House—I am certain quite innocently—on this day week, when he gave a reply indicating that no information was available with regard to the negotiations on wages having broken down. We are merely asking whether it is not the case that such information was at the Minister's disposal on that date.
§ Mr. SPEAKERIt does not seem to me that any point of Order arises.