As Mr. Cook has admitted that nationalization is " not
practical politics," the miners seem to be in a mood really to try to reduce the cost of production by means which they have in contemplation but have not yet revealed. Enough has been said, however, to show that these methods refer generally to the introduction of more up-to-date machinery, better organization, and a consequent increase in the output per man. This year the output per man has been 10 per cent. lower than it was in 1923. We should be glad if there could be an impartial inquiry into the scheme for buying out the Royalty owners and setting up a body of Commissioners who would lease the coal fields to competent private companies, and would also group the mines with a view to more economical working. At present the scheme exists as a project of the Liberal Party.
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