PUKEMIRO IDLE.

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 241, 8 October 1920, Page 5

PUKEMIRO IDLE.

MORE TRIFLING DELAY. >WKER'» OITBB -WITHDRAWN. FORMER CONDITIONS IMPOSED. (By T«U««pl».-*w*» Aawastton.) < WELIJNCTON, Thursday. < The executive of the Mineowners , Aβ- r ;ociation met to-day to consider the , Pukemiro dispute, but ks there was no ; guarantee tihat the men would resume . forthwith the Disputes Committee did not meet. Mr. Pryor, for thb Coalmine Owners' Association, cent a letter to Mr. Arbuekle stating that, in view of the arrangement made on Tuesday, that j if the men resumed work to-day the Disputes Committee would meet, arrangemente were made to cany this out. Tlie directors of the mind made special arrangements to get their manager, who lives in Auckland, to the mine, only to learn when he arrived that the men lied not resumed, and were calling » meeting for to-day. The Pukemiro Union alone, Mr. Pryor contends, ie preventing the meeting of the committee, but if he ie.informed ttiat the men have decided to resume at once be will endeavour to get the members of the executive together again before they leave Wellington. The executive of tlie Coalmine Owners' Association met again this afternoon, when advice w&s receive.l from Mr. , Arbuekle that no decision would be arrived at at Pukemiro until after 2 p.m. to-morrow. As, in the opinion of | the executive, the Pukemiro Union had I not taken proper steps to have the | matter dealt with in time for to-day s meeting in Wellington, It was decided to send another letter to Mr. Arb'.ickk , , in which the following passages occur:— "My executive is of opinion that the Pukemiro Union has only been trifling I with the matter, and that no real effort J has been made to 'have operations resumed this morning in accordance with the arrangement made between you and , myself for the' meeting of the National i Disputes Committee, or even that work ] should be started to-morrow morning. ;In view of the fact that the Pukemiro Union has had since Tuesday last, which offered ample time to arrive at a decision before till* date, and that the resumption of work this morning ■was a condition precedent to a meeting of the National Disputes Committee. my executive has decided that the only condition on which work can now be resumed at the mine is in accordance I with the very reasonable proposal* made Ito you on Saturday last as under: — I 'That the federation and local union j should give an undertaking in "writing* Ito be embodied in a supplementary ; agreement, that in the event of any dis|pute or stoppage of work in the mine, rthe enginedrivere will not on any pretext I whatever refuse to perform any duties j necessary in connection witib pumping J operations or the ventilation of the mine.'' The letter wti signed by Mr. Pryor.