The Coal Commission' has reached the critical stage. On 'Tuesday
the mineowners presented their proposals, which were iii accordance with expectation—an eight- hour day ; district rates for wages ; a reduction in railway rates at the expense of wages ; no interference with royalties ; no compulsory grouping and no regula- tion of the relations between employers and employed. The examination of the witnesses by Sir Herbert Samuel, and in a secondary degree by Sir William Beveridge; was- damaging to the mineowners' case. Sir Herbert sum-- marized the proposals by pointing out that the miners would have to work an additional hour without extra pay ; that wages would be reduced by amounts varying from 6d. a week in South Wales to 15s. 9d. in Lancashire and Cheshire ; that the owners would have to effect a reduction of 10 per cent. on " other costs " ; that railway rates would have to be reduced by 25 per cent. ; and that 100,000 men (though perhaps temporarily) would have to be dismissed. At the end of all these changes the industry would be running at a loss of about 3d. a ton. Sir Herbert added that the extension of hours would mean that the miners would be working below ground about the same time as the miners of Silesia and longer than any other miners in Europe.
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