THE COAL TRADE.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 15930, 18 June 1917, Page 5

THE COAL TRADE.

SETTLING THE DISPUTES

(rXESS ASSOCtATtOS TXLZGRA«."> WELLINGTON, Jnne 16. Fair progress has been made towards the settlement of all the troubles which threatened tho coal mines of the Dominion recently. When the conference of men and owners proved abortive tho employers announced an offer which the mcas delegates rejected, but which was lctf open for the time to tho unions individually. Several unions havo accepted the offer and agreements havo been concluded.

Tho following unions have already settled on the terms offered by the mine-owners at tho conference:—Taupiri, Pukemiro, Waipa, Denniston, Millerton. Westport, Stockton, Paparoa, and Kaitangata. Tho important mines not in this list are the Blackball. State, Green Island, Nightcaps, Brunner, and Puponga. However, though thero is no information regarding the progress of affairs in those mines, it is believed that settlements are pending at some of them. Upacuks, ret "ths phkss.")

DUNEDIN, Juno IG. It is now certain that the Otago coal mine-owners will fall into lino with other collieries and agree to an increase in the men's rates and wages by and 10 per cent, respectively, thus improving the pre-war scales bv 17£ per cent, to howcrs and by 20 per cent, to shift-men. Several of the Otago owners havo already entered into agreements with their employees on that basis, whilo the others sro prepared to step into line. The latest increases, although very substantial, are considerably short of the remarkable demands made by the Miners' Federation at tho recent abortivo conference at Wellington. The agreements now being entered into by the Otago mine-owners and men are not being made with or through the Federation. Each proprietary enters *nto an agreement with an individual union and each agreement must bo filed in tho Arbitration Court. There is to bo no Dominion award and no standardisation of tho various rates for hewing, timbering, pillar work, and yardage. It is understood that owing to the increases in the miners' rates and shift wages, the price of coal to consumers will bp increased this winter by from Is to 3s a ton.