PLAIN SPEAKING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 233, 1 October 1932, Page 9

PLAIN SPEAKING.

MEN" AND MANAGING DIRECTOR. MEETING THIS MORNING. (By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.) WHANGAREI, this day. As promised yesterday, Mr. Scott Davidson and the board of directors met the men in the Criterion Theatre this morning. A good deal of wrangling was the upshot. Mr. Davidson explained the view of the board in making the decision at the end of last week to pick the men to work the mimV "We were forced to do something drastic," he said. "We may have done the wrong thing in not consulting the union; but we did what we thought was the best thing." Someone asked for the comparative figures of the cost of each of the last two weeks' working, but they had not been prepared. The general view of the men was expressed by one miner as follows: "It has been circulated in the Press throughout the country that we have loafed on the job, and the Lord help us if we look for work elsewhere." It was that aspect that they resented—the implication that they were incompetent -and lazy. They expressed their opinions very plainly. Another attitude taken by the men was that the directors by working last week did so in order to "put themselves on side with the Government." That suggestion was scouted by Mr. Davidson, who said he had been forced to do something last week which he had never done before —to hew coal while the others walked the streets. "I did that," he said, "to keep the field open for you chaps." It was also alleged by the men that the board, in taking action last week, did so for their own benefit. "They decided to buy coal," said one of the men, "and if anything was over from Wilsons they would get it." That allegation was also denied, but the meeting did not get any further ahead. Mr. Davidson opened up a discussion on a proposal .put up by Wilsons that the men be allowed to hew coal for household purposes from Monday to Friday next week. The plan was put to the meeting, and it was decided that the union organise men to get the coal. At this stage the meeting broke up.