Ctri Wednesday the Prime Minister addressed a Conference of representatives
of the coal industry at the Central Hall, West- minster, on the importance of increasing the output of coal. Nearly three thousand representatives of the industry were present. Mr. Airtaith gave a statement of the facts of a situation which, he told till beater a in plain terms, was dangerous. At the end he urged thatie *he remained at home to endeavour to be worthy of those who fdrtght, and had fallen for their country. The essential point of the Speech, which according to the Presii was well received, was that Otitis 1913 the coal output had fallen from 287,000,000 tons to 251.,000,000' tons, and that the demand was now in excess Of the supply. Yet in the present struggle coal for munition-making and tot ekpott as the price of feed was second in importance only to Men. The most practicable and urgent remedy was the reduction of tfiiio lost by avoidable absenteeism, which now stands at five per 'cent. The avoidance of that loss -would make good the defi- eiericy m the ntput. Here was a piactical probleta which the infritta
and hers must solve.
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