THE COAL MINERS.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16270, 22 July 1918, Page 5

THE COAL MINERS.

STATEMENT OF THE MEN'S CASE. (PEESS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM.) ■WELLINGTON, July 20. 'J'lfe coal-miners' official statement of their attitude, signed by Messrs ; O'Rorke, Semple, and Parry, contends: i "Wo have not asked for a variation in the existing agreement in the way the employers wish, to imply." The only, question is one of adjustment of wages,. which is imperative owing M> the increased cost of living. The. suggestion of a bonus is condemned as a speeding-up expedient, and as leading to. increased accidents. In reply to tho employers' statement that miners' wages range from 17s to 25s per day, tho miners point out that tho average working days per annum aro 240. Taking 19s 10Jd per shift, the actual earnings'are £238 13s per annum, but from this was to be deducted £29 for explosives, light, and tools. Tho miners' expenses and cost of living, based on budgets compiled by working miners' wives, averaged in 1018 £219. 3s (3d pef annum, to corcr necessaries for tho man, his wife, andfamily of threo children, but this sum does not cover union fecis, medical subscription, insurance, and other incidentals, including recreation, all of which have to be met out of a balance of £19 9s 9d per annum. Tho financial position of a miner in 1918 was 55 per cent, inferior to his position in 191-1. The only increase in wages since the war was 17£ per cent. A man on 12s a day in 1918 was worso off than when ho was receiving 10s in 1914 by £37 3s 3d per annum. The miners to-day are producing more ooal per man per day than at any timo in the history of the oountry. Tho output- per man in. New Zealand is a . world's record.

The increase in price of State coal for cash since 1912 at Wellington, Christchureh, Dunedin, and Wanganui ranged from 3s to 6s per ton, and tho increase imposetl by retail private com. panics ranged from Cs 6d to 2Ss per ton. The. average increase in hewing Tates per ton was 4sd to od. So far as tho Miners' Federation is concerned, it is still open for negotiations.