THE COAL CRISIS.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 183, 4 August 1919, Page 6

THE COAL CRISIS.

DEADLOCK AT CONFERENCE. BOTH SIDES STAND FIRM. (By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, Saturday. The conference held here for the purpose of considering the new demands recently made by the Miners' Federation upon the Coal Mine Owners' Aeeociation, wae at a deadlock when the adjourn-1 ment was taken. There had been aj lengthy discussion on the figures quoted by each side in support of the proposals made by the Miners' Federation and the reaeons put forward by the mine- 1 owners for their non-acceptance. I Mr. J. Roberts (Alliance of labour) said the Federation should have an opportunity to investigate and reply to the owners' statements. The Federation! wished to prove to the public that the abolition of the contract system would neither increase prices nor reduce output. -• Mr. Alison said the owners knew that tbo aboHtion of the contract system and I reduced hours would reduce the output. It had that effect in England. Mr. Roberts eaid the real test would be to hand a normal working mine over to the miners for, cay, a few months and sec whether the output of coal would be reduced. Mr. Flavell: You own them all now. Mr. Roberts: Very well, then; hand us over the title deeds. Thar is all we would want, and this discussion can end right now. Mr. Roberte went on to refer to the need for an efficient eystein of managemoot in the mines to increase the output. The miners, he said, were quite prepared and quite anxious to assist in increasing the output, but they desired to do so under decent working , conditions. i Mr. J. O'Brien (Northern District), I referring to the figures ac quoted in the Board of Trade's report, said he did not challenge their accuracy, but the basis on which they had been arrived a«- was incorrect. He mentioned the case ol one man dead over three weeks and another] man absent for two weeks whose-names were shown on the pay-sheet. Mr. Alison said that in fairnees to the companies Mr. O'Brien should give details of the cases referred to to the management. Mr. P. O'Rourke objected to the chairman's suggestion that the rival figures ehould be submitted to Government authority to report to the conference in a week or a fortnight. If the owners wanted to evade discussion they ehould say so straight out. The miners would not stand for an adjournment. The Federation could refute the figures by Monday morning, and would then be quite prepared to go into the chief planks of its platform—the abolition of the contract system and the reduction of hours. Mr. Alieon said that all the figures which might be put forward by Mr. Roberts or the Federation on the baeis Mr. Roberts had outlined would not be worth a snap of the fingers. They would be bogus figures, meant to mislead the public* Mr. Roberts replied that any figures which the Federation might present would be based ujJon actual fact, and would stand investigation by .men who were accustomed all their liYee to work at the mines. OWNERS STAND FIRM. In answer to Mr. J. Arbuckle, Mr. Alison said definitely that the owners were not prepared to discuss the five leading points of the miners* demands. Mr. Arbuckle: Are you prepared to make us any other offer? Mr. Alison: We are prepared to discuss the other clauses of your proposals. We consider that the wages now paid to miners are highly satisfactory, and will be so for another six months at least. Mr. Arbuckle disagreed , . He again asked the owners whether they were prepared to offer anything elee in place of the points which, owners were not prepared to discuss. Mr. Pryor (Taupiri) suggested an adjournment until Monday morning to enable the Federation to produce figures. Mr. Roberts: Are we to understand that after we have gone to the trouble to produce figures, no matter what those figures may be, you will still refuse to discuss the abolition of the contract system ? Mr. Alison: Yea. Mr. Roberts: Then I ask you is it any use for U3 to produce those figures? Mr. Alison: That is for you to say. Mr. Roberts: It is for you to promise that you will discuss the abolition of tfie contract system if we produce the figures. That is only fair. Mr. Flavell: We cay that we cannot discuss those five points, Because of the position revealed in our figures. Your figures cannot be very different from ours if they are calculated on the same basis. FEDERATION CANNOT WITHDRAW. Mr. Arbuckle said the Federation delegates had absolutely no power to withdraw the five points referred to. Refusal by the owners to discuss them would be a red flag to the rank and file. If the owners had no other offer to make, then "the fight is on." Mr. Alison said the owners were prepared to adjourn until Monday morning, provided the Federation would then be prepared to discuss the demands with the elimination of the five points referred to. Mr. A. MoseUnd (Buller) said if something was not done at the conference something would be done by the men on the job. The coal owners would have plenty of time to consider before Monday morning what they had to offer in the way of counter-proposals. All hej personally wanted was an answer "yes" or "No." If trouble arose in the industrial field in New Zealand it would not be the fault of the miners, but of the coal owners. Sir George Clifford said he had nothing to do with the threats to refuse work or the refusal of the owners to discuss the five points. However, it was essential that they ehould have a set of figures which would be acceptable to both sides. He adjourned the conference until Monday morning. TO-DAY'S PROCEEDINGS. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, this day. When the Coal Mining Con- i ference resumed this morning, Mr. Roberts (Alliance of Labour) said if tTie owners -would refuse to go on and discuss the abolition of the contract system it would 'be no use proceeding with the conference, and produc- ! ing figures. The Hon. E. W. Alison said' it had been definitely decided that the owners i could not consider the extortionate and

unreasonable demands of the men. MγKoberts had claimed that injustice, would be done to the Federation if it did not have an opportunity of presentin" figures to refute those called toy the owners; then why was the Federation not going to submit figures? It was I because it could not give figures to controvert the mine-owners' figures. ' Mr. Roberts denied having said they could not produce figures. They had seen through the owners' figures at once. The owners had taken one table in the Board of Trade report and dealt with the mine with the lowest output. It was plain that where the output wae small the cost of production was high. In no part of the Board of Trade report could, they find a basis upon which they could commence calculations. Where the information was or no use to anyone the name of the mine was given. Sir James Clifford said wh«n he made his suggestion regarding figures, he placed no time limit on the Federation. ■He vninted the Federation to have plenty of time, and then submit its figures from independent experts. Mt. Roberts maintained that it was impossible, on the basis supplied to give figures. If the public were to have full information with reference to the working of the mines, the employers must throw all their cards on the table, and give necessary information, and then the light of day could be thrown upon the great coal question in New Zealand. Mr. Alison suggested a further adjournment to enable the owners to consider the reply made by the Federation. He moved an adjournment until this afternoon. ~ .. . ■ ■—" J