§ 24. Mr. E. J. WILLIAMSasked the Secretary for Mines whether he is aware of the concern felt by the district welfare committees at the heavy expenditure on head office charges and the increasing difficulties placed in the way of district committees preparing schemes and incurring expenditure on behalf of the people who subscribe the money; and what steps will be taken to give district committees status and reasonable authority?
§ The SECRETARY for MINES (Captain Crookshank)The responsibility for administering the Miners' Welfare Fund was placed by Statute upon the Central Miners' Welfare Committee. The district welfare committees are not statutory bodies, and I have no power to confer authority upon them. In any case, I am not convinced that there would be any 1005 justification for interference, since there is already a clear majority on the Central Committee of members directly representing the two sides of the industry. The Central Committee is, I am assured, always willing to discuss administration questions with the district commttees, and in fact holds a conference of district committees each year for that purpose. This year's conference met on 17th November, and I am informed that the question of the administration expenses of the Central Committee was raised on behalf of two or three district committees and fully discussed.
§ Mr. G. GRIFFITHSDid not the district committees, when the Bill was passing through the House, protest that this very thing would happen when power was taken away from the district committees? Has the Minister forgotten that?