Miners' Services Are In Jeopardy
Page 16
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ECONOMIC difficulties of the operators of miners' services:particularly in the North-east, seem likely to come to a head Zia the near future, because certain of the licence-holders concerned contend that it is not possible for them to carry on unless they are adequately remunerated. Unless matters improve the probability is that many of them will prefer to relinquish their licences rather than to continue under the present difficulties.
For a variety of reasons Miners' services have been fun at ridiculously low fares over a lengthy period. During the war, however, there has been a substantial rise-in costs with no increase in revenue to compensate, so that 'these licence-holders, who usually have no additional income as have other p.s.v. operators, are unable to make ends meet. In many cases the matter has been explained to the miners, who have received the owners with sympathy, but they (the men) contend that, as corns
al s
pared with other workers, they are not sufficiently remunerated to allow them tO meet the operators' demands. In view of what is being done in other directions and the Government's appeal for increased coal production, it is felt by the men that the authorities or the coal owners should be prepared to subsidize such services,
Clearly some action is necessary, because the operators have to face increased costs in performing precisely the same services as in pre-war days; at the same time they are without any chAnce of additional revenue, because thg various shifts on which the miners are employed make it practically impossible for the vehicles to undertake other duties.
Among instances quoted to a "
CM." stag man w.as that of an operator who is receiving only 48 10s. for working a seven-day Week, including night journeys and running an average of 360 miles.