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COAL SUPPLIES.

EFFECT OF AUSTRALIAN STRIKE. COMMIMST ACTIVITi. It was learned in the '.:;■• yesterday that the Railway lVp3rtn>e:it", .■.,;,! » ai> . plies were at a very lon- ebb. bat that measure* additional to those oatlired bv the Minister for Railways (the H«a. Mr Tavemor) were beir.g taken to meet the position. Communist activity ou the coalfields of the Dominion is very marked .iust now, and an cffuit recently to bring about a hold-up of supplies of coal and timber for Australia failed. It it understood that further endeavours .ir,- 1 »ing made to induce the miners and transport work ers to adopt such a polby. Mr R. F. Griffin, a ilointuuni»: organiser, who was in Christchur h yesterdav,'said that hi* Party was watching the Shag Point situation closely, as it regarded the company's action as the preliminary to a general attack on miners' wages and conditions. His Party was making effort* to elicit support for tLe Shag Point miners on all the other fields, cveu to the point of bringing about a general holdup. The miners, seamen, and watersider* had recently been approached and asked not to handle coal or timber for Australia, it being held that this was a more effective way of assisting the Australian miners and timber workers than by a lew on swages. The seamen and miners had been invited to adopt such a stand through their union organisations, and the watersiders individually, but so far his Party's policy had not been supported. It was contended that such action was unnecessary, as there had been no such request from Australia. Seamen on some of the coal and tintl>er ships trading to Australia are restive, and recently the crew of the Kaitoke telegraphed from Westport to the president of the Seamen's' Union asking him whether they should take the coalladen vessel to sea or not. Tbey were instructed to do so, whereupon several of the men immediately left the vessel.

SHAG POINT MINE. UNION SECRETARY REPLIES TO MR BISHOP. (I'E.ESS ASSOCIATION TnLBOBJJt.) GREYMOCTH, June 11. Regarding the Shag Point mine stoppage, Mr A. McLagan, secretary of the United Mine Workers' L'nion, replying to Mr T. O. Bisbop, secretary of th»s Coalowners' Association, bays that what he (Mr McLagan) told the Minister for Mines was that the Shag Point Company tried to impose reductions of 5 per cent, on hewers and 6d per day on truckers, and that when the men declined these tbey were lockeJ out. He did not inform the Minister that the company souaht to impose a 10 per cent, wage reduction, and the report that he had made fcuch a statement wat incorrect. Mr Mcl-agan says that when on February 19th the Shag Point Company presented a demand for a 5 per cent, reduction it stated that unless this was effected operations must stop, whereas the union, in submitting counter-proposals for a new afpeement, offered to negotiate without imitating the company • 'big stick attitude. 7 ' The refusal of the company to negotiate was the reason why the union did not accept the company** offer for an accountant to investigate its affairs The union later accepted this offer, whereupon the company hedged it round with impossible jooditions and then notified the union that the men's service* would be dispensed with from March 30th unless, ir. the meantime, "suitable arrangements," meaning wage reductions could be arrived at to allow of a continuance. The company closed the mine on March 28th and violated the agreement under which the men wefe working and which was to continue in force till April 4th. Mr McLagan, commenting on Mr Bishop's statement that the company'* terms would have given truckers 16s and piece rate workers not leas than £1 per day, says the company originally claimed that the latter averaged 22s 6d per day and that the 5 per cent, reduction would be so distributed jis to enable them to earn more. Did it therefore raise the reduction demand to 10 per cent, to enable these men to earn still more? As a trucker's highest rate is 16s 9d a day, a 10 per cent, reduction would bring it down to 15s Id. against 17s in all other # mine*, while a 10 per cent, reduction for truckers aged 19 to 20 would bring iheir rate lown from 14a 6d to 13s Id. a* against 17s a day in other mines. The company at first rejected the union's proposal to ask the Railwav Department to use more Shag Point coal and eive a better prioe, but later adopted the proposal The offer to hand the mine over to the men to work was merely another name for wage reductions and speeding up.

Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19290615.2.83

Bibliographic details

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19646, 15 June 1929, Page 14

Word Count
778

COAL SUPPLIES. Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19646, 15 June 1929, Page 14

COAL SUPPLIES. Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19646, 15 June 1929, Page 14

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