GREY VALLEY LABOR DISPUTE.

Press, Volume XLVIL, Issue 7738, 18 December 1890, Page 5

GREY VALLEY LABOR DISPUTE.

BEPOItT; OF THE COMMJSSIQOTIS. (PBBSS ASSOCIATION TZIB<JRAM/> A report pt the Ooaunlesloners appointed .tip inquire Into and report upon the Grey Valley coal mines, has* hew presented to the Governor. The Commisstate; that $Be system which was in voRUQ up to Bth March, 1890, o£ paying eoajt hewers; by a, tonnage rate of 4s for each ton of screened coal tamed out, eeeEK3 to have been satisfactory to the miners, a« no evidence was tendered, of cooaplaints having been made against it, Xα June, I&<V the Grey Valley Coal Company demanded a redaction ol twenty per eenfe. in hewing rates, bat; the miners de* cloned to agree to this. Inspection of the Company** books at Greymouth din showed that from Ist January, 890; |q Bth. filaifchi when the heweraweVe 'patftita 4s per ton, screened, the net profit was la 7|d per top, and that from the JOth March to 28th June; daring which, period tlje miners were paid at the rate of 3310d t p6r torigrOss weight, a loss of Is 4d per $q» waa sustained- Outside of the above the* Company had to pay. for • general piaaa&ement at Danedin, Wellington, and Grfeymou*h, and for rates, taxes, &c, jgiefjj 12s 2d. JPurteg the eferlfee, while the lOpmpany offered is* per day for coal hewera, }fc, at the satne tlnje, promised, after" the ejcpiry of els months, that If the hewers desired, paytnenl; by tonnage ratea of "2i 3d for vo*lpltheatft and 2§ for Brtinjaer on unscreened or gross weight; Of coa.l should be again, resamed, and that the rjatea thus offered were equivalent to a reduction of 20 pec cent, on the, tonnage rates paid from loth Marshy is9o,tift I9ih July, the loejw oat tooiferplace. Paring pbe the rotnera they requested the Cotp-i pan? uot to impose the condition of delay* fngthe IntrodaQpSon of the tonnage rate to¥4x rooetbs, bat to them ewployxnent at O|jpe ontedacea tonnage rates m Ueu of a day's wggea at> 12a, ana that this ippas by the (Jompany, This factj Jh4icstfif very clearly that the reduction of per cent required by the Company in Ja)y wa§ reaaonatjlo and and would stiU left the coal hewers more than per day. ■ ■ 1?M farther report that Sir kaiijaae, President of the A.MtIj.A. had no reason? to urge for a redaction of the royalties or railage other than that aa the niine not paying the aslked for ehpuldlje granted by the Governraenfc to save dietrjct, bat Mr Nekton, one of the delegates who made application to the Government, Old nap proffer any evidence to the Compalssioners, If such were made it mnsi; necessarily be considered from two different aspects, firstly its effects on those who woald benefit by it, §epondly on those who would by if, Jn mafcipK the application, it clearly W&a not the intention of the miners to be&ent the Company, hut to enable it to pay the hewers fine higher rates of wages fnrolyed ih the change pf system intro(foce&in MarQh, 1890, bat; i% is clear from Wh&? tke have already reported, that each an increase was warranted fqr the following reasons :— If pecaoa? when the cpaqgo of svatem Toaasle Jfc wa? only insisted on by the heWf?r» as equivalent to the rate of 4s pre--vioaklf paid on screegced coal, although it rqauited in an increasq of cost to the, extent'of Is per toe, % §geans9 tk<n wgges earned by the hewers whQ dlreapy interested, jjnd. ms9 by the wage men who were not In&WesteO, are very naach in excess of is earned by tfcpiiar iatec |n of the colony, '£." Because in'face pf $hp fact that tha men bad torced up the hewing wages w Sftrcb/imtopHees which left tfieem, njojing direct 1033, they, ios Qllhefr own, by as>@£S thenipeives and without apt!ce Ebe eanaMur, voluncarUj restricted SP farnmorq thftn lfa pgr day withfiut the pyerto their 4.gsocinpon, a restriction wh.jfch tended' to fnjiate the Company's} 19t»% peeping a large staff of wages fiai occajatjTO. 4, because the 4inVent character of the coal "at Westport %nd seepftg no teason whj the at |hf imnes at these thq the preasnti working at the ibmgrpqce easier than the former; nps 4o tae CQn4j,tSon3 qfc either place, of which tMe OonioaHaipnera ipacle eaqalry. fornix %ny % equalising $4 hewing oa pftUr cozil at with solid co**i a,t We^porfc, Heqause aftf jp thft system of pstfi»<?ns had beea? altered |rqoj 4s ou screened, t<? 2$ lQd 04 « r coal, tbe, wa%te f/fom slac|c greened out incssased from 4T| per cent, to 45 per @hd it 15 alleged py tlie this eauseq by is® pUia? vforklossx Jhw denied l>7 it Ss jffirmeq wty U W.%9 bf!p%use p«| oiwe?e. lia4 no to pf quality of cqaL ' A% segafda the egcqpfi s?iSf c|j, tp?a||ftMq —viz,, the effecli ox the those who woa!4 PJ «t> Qqwawent of tt*e coloajf anc| P^P 1 *? generally, fiot, m q«t appear to be *»ny reason w£y, fegy ehpoM a which, no&, from those who and to Ifa %q valaeblo 4 fc «4 L . ?Qlll .% royalty ptM WLFOJP *iP*Wffl»«&iß&

ana the opening up of othei coal areas in the sameMoUstrlct is being proceeded with f bjrirtl.9l-.lessees,! whc would have*'as much ground for the concession as the present lessees have. Aj other mines j»m opened up increased accommodation and appliances will L« required to overtake the traffic, the funds to provide which must be found by the Harbor Board out of the revenue receiver from the royalties and railage. The Commissioners, for the foregoing reasons; cannot recommend that any con* cession should he made either in respect of the royalties or haulage charges at present levied. On the subject of wages the Commissioners say:-*" It Is alleged by Mr Kennedy, the managing director, and by Mi Bishop, mine manager, that at pillar work, which involves much less pick work, stood men could readily make £1 5s or £1 IQa per day at the rates recently paid, and whilst this view maybe somewhat exaggerated, it is evident to tho Commissioners that whilst—.akingremarkably good wajrea miners have not made the best use of theis time and opportunities for their own interests. The Commissioners, moreover; in view of the amounts actually earned, or which could have been earned, by the coal hewers in these mines, are surprised at the support accorded them during the lock out, both by the men on daily wages at the mines and by the wharf labourers, with whom they were associated, and which could result in nothing short of direct loss and privation, to themselves, and that tho loyalty and devotion of those who- were thus associated in a Labor Union comprising such discordant elements was in.itself admirable, though perhaps mistaken, and indicative of a staunchness worthy of a better cause. The strike, co far aa it concerned the Grey Valley, was, in their opinion, an exercise ot despotic power on the part of the leaders Of the Maritime Councii, and tho wanton sacrifice of the Grey Valley Coal Company and its employees, inasmuch as it involved interruption to trade and work; iusfc at tho time a se&raen'a struggle th few Zealand, on the behalf of others in .Australia, had proved itself to-be already a> difficult cause. The disastrous results apparent throughout this struggle havo arisen through the men giving heed to crude and deceptive teaching, and fostering amongst themselves unwise and misleading views on the respective relations between capital and labor, without really knowing their Interdependence upon each other, or indeed without having truly defined the meaning of the terms or formed correct views ot the distinctive functions which capital and labor are called upon to fulfil in the world's work. The Commissioners think that the system of affiliation with distant Unions, and indeed the whole system of unionism ia useless, administered by leaders who have had no (?) opportunities of studying the great social problems Involved ■•' fttkd must Inevitably lead to deeper errors thab those they seek to rectify. •• v * As to the Brunner Mine; the Commissioners find that since it passed the h&uds of the Grey Valley Coal Company the • output has materially diminished, 'but since amalgamation under the Company the Goalpitheatb, Mine has materially increased its product. The Commissioners are .4f opinion that In the issue of future leasee more uniform conditions might ,v *Hs arranged, and that a model lease to ensure uniformity would tend to simplify th*e control of the lessor's Interests, ! wOUM. prevent jealousy amongst leasees, ! am applications for concessions during" the currency of leases. As regards iospee- * tion the report states that the Commissioners are Impressed with the belief that the Inspection of the mines should be attended'to in the direction beyond that which appears from the published reports to be generally undertaken; that in respect of inspection provided l tor the purpose of preventing accident and so far as practicable protecting men working In the mines from injury, it was alleged *by some of che witnessed that more frequent visits are required, and §tbat hazardetta features of the mine may arise and rfceult injuriously In the intervals between such visits aa are at present made, but it la.probable that as lessors the Government would find the public interest codeervedk the mines kept in better condition, and the revenue therefore better maintained, if inspectors weß_ charged with this anpect of the matter as well flfet ! as specially, and their authority extended so far as necessary to attain this object*, i