THE COAL INDUSTRY

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22136, 5 July 1937, Page 6

THE COAL INDUSTRY

11l IUC EDITOR Or 188 i'RESS. Sir.—ln reference to your leading article of June 28, in which you refer to the suspicion of go-slow tactics being adopted by the New Zealand coalminers, you are, it is evident, basing your comments on information emanating from the Minister for Mines and the Under-Secretary.

As officials of the State Miners' Union, wo would be unworthy of our positions if we did not reply to your article and "Spectator's" letter ot June 29. with fully corrective and informative facts, not conjectures or suspicions. En passant, it would certainly obviate many of these misunderstandings if the Minister would approach the miners' leaders in a friendly and questing attitude, instead of assailing them with a preconceived idea that the men are 100 per cent, in the wrong. Now, dealing with the falling off of production at the State Mine, Liverpool No. 2, given as .46 of a ton a man over a given' period, we will endeavour to give some reasons which it will be well for the Minister, yourself, and others interested to know.

First, there are 49 pairs of miners on the coal at the mine in question and a falling off of .46 of a ton a man would not show the bulk deficiency quoted over the actual working days of the mine in a year. Much time is lost underground owing to no fault of the men concerned, because many are supplied with lamps that are antiquated and out of date about the time of Noah. The frequent failure of these lamps to function is the cause of much intermittent loss of time and also at times places men in jeopardy, since it will be readily understood what the failure of a light in murk of n mine will do —no need for us to elaborate on the fact. The most vital factor, however, in the falling off, was the fact that from two sections of the mine the men had to be withdrawn in a hurry and the sections isolated and sealed up with stoppings as there were grave indications of an outbreak of fire. These sections. No. 2 and No. 3, Banks Kimbcl East, were in process of pillar extraction and had a very high average output of coal, probably the highest in the mine. The only section available in which to place the men from the two sections in question was an area that was being opened up to pierce some old workings, and probably the hardest coal in the mine, the consequence being that the output from the men, deprived of their legitimate cavils througn n" fan v of their own was reduced by about 50 per cent. In pursuance of this illustration, the workings of a large mine arc naturally undergoing frequent changes; i.e., as pillar extraction peters out in one section men havo to drive in solid to forcwin other pillar cool, so the output must vary considerably at times without the men being in the least to blame. We would nt this point refer to the published individual output of coalmines in the different mining centres of the world, and in that tabulation, the New Zealand miner stands very high indeed, even taken in comparison with areas where most of the coal produced is machine cut. The miner, however, seems to be the dog for everyone to kick, probably because the majority of the people not intimately connected with the industry have no knowledge of his life or conditions of work, and it would be all to the good if he would come out into the open more and make circumstances better known which, now being misunderstood, give rise to misconceptions and totally wrong ideas of him, sometimes fostered and sometimes unintentional. The State mine has lost a lot of time also, owing to the dangerous nature of the Grey bar. Only a few weeks ago the ships intending to load coal at Greymouth, largely from the State mine, after bucketing about off the bar for several days, went onto Wcstport and loaded there. This meant, of course, waiting for the return trip and we lost part of two pays owing to this circumstance. We are bound in fairness to admit that the miners are now working under the best agreement they have ever had, and must acknowledge our indebtedness largely to the Labour Government for such, coupled, ot course, with capable men at the head of the various organisations; but wniie the system remains as it is, there will always be recurring differences ol opinion between the workers and management, and the age-old, and sometimes only effective weapon of the workers, the strike, will as a consequence occasionally be brought into operation. The Minister can call it "scabbery" on the Government and say we can stay out if we strike as much as he likes, he will not take from tine unions their militant nature: and we of mature years are not going to encourage strike action unless wc think it justified or as a last resource. In finale, the Labour Party of New Zealand has no more loyal or staunch adherents than the members of the State Miners' Union, but we reserve to ourselves the right to defend ourselves against any charges, made or implied, when wo know that they are unfounded on fact. If the Minister puts his oft-reiterated threat to import coal from Australia into effect, we would suggest respectfully to him that he forward the first consignment to the State miners'for use as household coal, as we have great difficulty in getting our legitimate supplies, to which wc are entitled, although we are producers. Hoping you will give this equal publicity.—-Yours, etc.,

GEO. ED. ENGLISH, President, WILLIAM PENDLEBURY, Secretary, State Miners' Union, Runanga. Runanga, July 3, 1937.