CALLED IN BALLOT

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 173, 24 July 1941, Page 8

CALLED IN BALLOT

GOLD MINE HANDS

APPEAL BY COMPANY

(0.C.) WAIHL this day. Serious problems in connection with the mining industry consequent upon the inclusion of miners in ballots were disclosed at a sitting of the No. 2 Armed Forces Appeal Board in Waihi. Appeals were made by the Martha Gold Mining Company (Waihi), Ltd., in respect of 11 employees married since May 1 1940 on the grounds of public interest Evidence in support of the appeals was given by Mr. A. F. Lowrie, mine manager and assistant superintendent to the company. In the course of his evidence, Mr. Lowrie said that the company, while recognising the importance of New Zealand's war effort, considered that the production of gold was an essential part ?r f o such e ff ort in that it provided U.S.A. dollar exchange for the British Treasury and British sterling for the New Zealand Government, the exchange so provided last year amounting to approximately 1,750,000 dollars. The company directly employed more than 600 hands, and 83 of its employees had already gone overseas. It was essential that miners and other skilled hands be retained if production was to be maintained. There was at present a shortage of skilled miners and any further loss of such men would result in the reduction of output from the mine. In order to maintain output in the face of this shortage development work had to be retarded and the company's efforts mainly directed to the production of gold. This retardation was to the detriment of next year's output. "Disastrous Effect ,, The witness said that if the company made no effort to retain its employees in the industry it might be called upon to give up 33 per cent of its men within a short time. The effect of this would be disastrous to the company, as the training of an average man of good physique to mining required at least two years. Adjournments sine die were granted in the cases of Ralph Haynes, Charles S. N. Hovell, Thomas W. F. Keys and J. Mooney, miners, and in the case of Thomas M. Rowney, an apprentice fitter almost out of his time, John H. Laurence, trucker, and Harold R. M. Page, carpenter's labourer. Appeals in connection with Alfred G. Berry, pay clerk, Stuart Berryman, truck repairer, and Francis G. Swetman, water race labourer, were dismissed, it being a condition that Berry be not called for service before September 1 and Berryman before October 1. An appeal for Ronald John Spiers, miner, was withdrawn. The board made it a condition that such men as had not already done territorial service should do so.