WAIHI MINES DISPUTE.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 72, 25 March 1919, Page 6

WAIHI MINES DISPUTE.

WAIHI COMPANY'S STATEMENT, i The management of the Waihi Gold i Mining Company, Ltd., has handed the i following statement for publication:— : The position at Waihi continues un- I changed, the seven exempted men, standing on their right to withdraw from any i organisation whose policy they do no't'i approve, and their exemption granted at.'] the November conference, continue firm , in their refusal to join the union. The j< comptny has offered to meet the diffi- i, culty by paying the union fees and levies j, of the seven exempted men if the union ;. can arrange for the names of the men ■] to be entered on the roll of the union as !, a matter of form. In response to a re- j quest from Mr. H. Poland, M.P., for a! further conference, the company has telegraphed as follows:—"Conference apparently useless, because the men specitically exempted by agreement and com- ' pany has failed in its attempt to persuade them to rejoin the union, and can- ' not discharge men who assisted to formj' the Arbitration Union in Ifll2. If trouble |i to hundreds ensues, as you suggest, Ij 1 must remind you that it will be the I 1 deliberate action of the union for ai l trumpery reason. I suggest that thej 1 union's new executive sticks to agree-'' ment, and I will then pay entrance fees,!' dues, and !"\>l levies of the seven ex-j' empted men while in the Waihi Com- > pany's employ if the union simply places ! i their names on the roll of unionists and : i merely regards them as members with-;' out having made application. As a mat- 1 ter of fact, these exempted men already '' hold union views, but differ from the |i opinions held by the executive of the Waihi Union." The company draws attention to tho fact that Mr. E. Parry (late secretary nf the X.Z. Miners' Federation) in his statement in the "Star" of Monday last, omitted to mention that as delegate at the conference in November he personally agreed to the exemption of the nine non-members. I