A Bad Coal Outlook The coal situation is disheartening in
the extreme. The ou is just as bad at the approach of another winter as it was last autu and even worse, in spite of more concessions to the men and di wages agreement of last April. Major Lloyd George reported o Tuesday that the output per man has fallea by as much as 5 ca a week, mainly owing to an increase of 25 per cent, in volunt absenteeism, and in some degree to a large .number of local unofficial stoppages. What is the remedy for this apparently chrism disease? It is possible that production might be increased by different line of attack altogether—by improving, for example, th technical equipment and organisation so that the same manual effo would produce greater results. The Minister, with such possibiliti in mind, has appointed an expert committee to report on any techn' changes that may lead to higher efficiency, particularly in th u direction of increased mechanisation, and this may lead to imponan improvements. It is a step which Major Lloyd George has ver tightly taken, but it must be pointed out that however valuabl the long-term results may be they cannot be felt in this comm winter ; and, secondly, it does not affect the fact that output is let than it ought to be because there are men Who are shirking b absenteeism and resorting to strikes illegally. In view of all tha has been done to conciliate the men, it is impossible to resist th conclusion that there is sormithing wrong with the system of Govern ment control as at present exercised. The discipline to which mos of the country is subjected is not enforced in the coal industry a The Essential Work Order is enforced against the manager, wh cannot discharge an unsatisfactory worker, but is not enforc against the miner who takes a day off whenever he feels incline or who engages in an illegal strike knowing that he will suffer n penalty. Conciliation and appeals to patriotism have failed utterl and dismally. Public opinion is becoming exasperated, and wou favour resort to discipline.
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