The Miners Disappointed
The appeal which Mr. Bevin is making, especially to young men, to enter the mines and " build up the mining army from all walks of life " will be handicapped by the awards of the National Tribunal on juvenile wages in the industry. The miners' leaders complain that the minimum wages fixed give the younger workers vir- tually no increase, and that in some cases the figures are actually lower than the wages offered by the coal-owners six weeks ago. Members of the Tribunal pointed out on Tuesday that it was not their function to alter the whole wage-earning capacity of juvenile workers in relation to the earning capacity of men. But it may be doubted if they are performing a very useful function if they feel compelled to leave a glaring discrepancy between the wages of youths of zo on the one hand and men of 21 on the other. Too little consideration would appear to have been given to the fact that mining is exceptionally dangerous work and that it is a matter of national urgency to attract young recruits to the industry at this moment. Mr. Will Lawther, president of the Miners' Federation, says that the award will be honourably accepted ; but the resentment expressed is so strong that he has felt it neces- sary to cancel a broadcast urging youth to go down the pits. It is, of course, right that conciliation tribunals should not offer extrava- gant wages. But equally, on the.other hand, it is not good judgement to fix wages in a key industry which is short of labour at rates far below expectation.
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