MINING TROUBLE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 410, 20 January 1909, Page 7

MINING TROUBLE.

:::S'>TH£iJDpMßAJjiy'S;*Jfi|Ali; YimO, X •■ '>■;'liiic-ifs'iiiitw -atdj'■U'fi!:'?-" ■?■:>!£"! ■. c SEKDOW TOTO3t6i?JDJ3STS ■ PGSSffiliE. '■■'" '■(sf I t , skw>s.ifß—^bess .issiffiiATipsO'.> ■ •■. • Coal Miners' Union aniJtisfzagm CoaT Company - 3&S jskcheS aan <&^ar. ; .= A! •ieQttfezErißojiteJd ta-day, iietweeiqjiifi-<diceeip*e eseestive .psoyeii '&;■.; ;'■ >^b.«.iinJßtt. jflemainds ?p4"'s£'£™. ' korkrng' ; f6r' fli| winpsiiiy, sMTI ■W , JaißJa.fre4 u > sSF^V,em^lbj : e3 r in-anj' r J3fficJaJ l, '«ip^ : At the ..conference the ■nnicfn iras notified tiiat the company had formally,resolved:to decline': to'. accede to this. demand,. on $no ground that it w*\£runiea£onja : b3£-aiLa •utrjustifi»We,;. Eventually the issue was namwed down. The (sojopany agreed, to redupe , -one jtfttkQ slksed and to.t=ein-. tSWtff.'t'lareß sjisgensifla. fhis was itejr final word; toe union being given to «fewly.,imd?r?tjuid tbjvt floaais "Boußbe fcoace&edr' , •"•*-• -"*■'>:""■ .:• .•■; '.;. ,v :, . ■;:. :

After tjje return of -the directors to Auckland a mass meeting «f the men sas held, the press being excluded, as tivej were from the cojifejren.ee, AH "thii meeting -the union officials leported tho result of tie confeii enco, the lesolutronsj and ultimatum of "the compauj being read 'lh<? position was tliea fully explained by the president of the union ("Mi J l'ultou) land by the secrel-uj of the Miners' Federation (Mr Robert Minning), both of uhom stated that the\ pointed out that, vhiist -the nsea uare for a principle affecting all the noricers in tho dominion, they slwuld remember tho position in vi Inch tby might be placed in tho near future The men discussed the matter for an hour and half , and carne4 a practically unanimous resolution to stick to iheir goaa unless the el'ole four svlws9 disrating they had demanded, should l?e reduced in Status A suggestion to urithdraiv the engino-drucrs ,, now employed jn preventjng -the flooding of the mme tfae nqt adopted Tbi. officifib of the unwp declared tnat the stage had not jet Twn Teached flhen suca drasric jneasnres. isej-a ' necessary, Tho piesidcnt ,intiniated to a pressman, hoaever, that unless a settlement of the stn.gfek »ess Saturday the ' union will \cry likely mthdrau the ciißiuadrirers ?nd allow the mint to be flooded The present mood of the men js not dangerous They are karlpg what they call a, good time wtji band performances, ■propes*' fiions, fat,etiou3 baiting of the alleged ' J)hc'cl»gs'' on thejr way from i\oiJj, and nightlv \ concerts The uniuly element in the <3ioirl has not slwirn jtself to anj marked degree, and tho union officials dpclare that they will, rot countfnaiice fley act , ? of violence, aß<i| are doing their best to suppress anything ai toe kind. > • tint the strike n?s to continue nne onthusiasticallj spread by tb,eir ras!», but gloomilj recened the trades people The litter ar<* an an unenviable position Already they have been under the necessity of giving credit to severe 1 customers, and thi? system mil Jioffi. lara to bo extended The urcortaintv as to bow long the struggle Hill now be prolonged makes this ejftension of*credi£ the more unsatiefao. torj * ' (tyber Jar reachinc; effects of the strike aro thsi tho Taupin Coal Co supplies sever ij fla\mi]ls, the durj jndpitri, and njany it the mines furthermore, thf State suffers owing tp the ccsßit'on. of returns from ths of coal m Auckland and up tus Exclusive of officials, the company etnploje 375 mnn, jl some of ivhom have largo famiheß Dcspfto all these considerations, however, tT>o men 31 e firm They are poniideot that, jf neccssiry, financial nssistanco will be forthcoming from ajl tlie unions m the Dominion, and from union' ontsid" New Zealand Nq arrangements have been msde for strike paj. Tho decision of the- m n to remain out is to bo telenraohed to the ,company to-morron. There is little/ chance of the directors receding from thUr position, bo that, as intimated b\ the president of the union, neit Saturday maj see deyelopmento of an important nature. Meantiroo tho men are orderlj, and the president of the union anticipates no violence unless , 3iafts"of police appear v (LT TELEGB\m—rUbsS ASSOCUTION,) — RCEflon, January 19 Tho llmers' Union rescinded the resola« tion in regard to not going to work, au<J woyk has been resumed in all the mines. > ?«•*-"* a MEMBER'S DUTIES. ?!S ABS0CIHTI01) Christchurch, January 19 ' Jfr S I P Free, repiesenlmg a numbel of Reef ton mining lia- forwarded Mho foltorfing'M'ply to ilr^fjiis' Coluii, M P , ui'nßswoTvto the letter's statements m re> _gwl-to-Hwnishmg copies of tlia Worker* , Compensation Bill of last session — "** "Ihe statoment nmdo bj jou that I crbiahiefl^ou'for'treating! m) companj un6fairlj m noi supply in§ it wjtli a eppy-of 11 lnbt year's Compensation. Act is contrary J to fact —In my telegraaj-tathe Premiet I stated that the member for the district 'treated us (reme-on uors) unfairlj iu not 1 advising us of tho-inclusion of the diseasLt. clause in the Act_ Ilou may have fon\aided a copy of the Bill to the gen Sal manegei of the consolidated gold- 4 , fif-lds, though }ie assures mo that he has no recollection of cyer seeing it Granted rthaj; jpu foraarded a copj to one oompanj, did >pu Uiorobj fulfil jour duty as member foi the. district? You. must na*o 'been aware tba ( t the notorious ! clause nas in tl;e 13ill, and that it would senously o,fteqt a large number of jour constituents Why did jou not mtorm - th<rinmc owners and-iet-them know that > f the Bill would bo referred to a comnnt- , tee which heai evidence? Had tilts , caurtjsy besi\*extende<l by'jou it is posSlble'ifio Act would ha\e assumed a more form, and all, the present trouble "noided If no bhroo attached to join mactiqn, then the obligations_of ' ta member of Paihament are less oiieious than gouernlly supposed " ■» 1 ' ' " T _____ 1 > " r 'J c HE*pEMEF FUND EXPLAINED. Tfie coinphaiit of Colonel Holgate in regard to the Coal Miners' Relief lund uas the subject of some inquiries made yesteiday by a Dominion reportoi. Colonel Holgato, who is managing director oL. the Northern Goal Company, vas reported by I'iie Dominion's Auckland correspondent to ba\o siid tlia* his company could not ascertiin whero tho fund ;n n.«ostioa went to Contributions uore paid to tho Public -Trustee at tho rite of 0110 halfpenny per ton on tho output of the mines, but they had nevor heard of a single miner getting any benefit out of it Mr J \l Poynton, Public Tiustee, when seen yesterday, said that Colonel. Holgate Has 5u drtor* Scarcely a week pissed nitliout a number of payments from the fund boing authorised Aβ Public Trustee, Jio hid to sign the vouchers, and iras re-ponsible for tho investment of tho fund. If the northern miners received no benefits, it mqst bolifecauso thoro were no accident theio Mr T. H Hamer, Under-Secrotaiy for Minos, ca\o some further information fia produced copies of tho Coil Mines Act, 1905 and regulations gazetted on August 30,1906 showing tho system on which tho fund is worked. It appears that, if there is tt miners' association in tho district, thu con tnbutions are paid into its sick and nccidoni fund, but.if not 2 it is paid into the Post Office Savings Bank to the er<\!it of thp Minister for Minns and tho Public Trustee Payments, Iα relief aro at the rate of 12s 6d a week, when a man is off work as tho result of an accident In case- ot permanent disablement, a sum of £50 may bo paid, and if -»n results m the worker's- death* tho nearest

f relative may be granted £10 for funeral exf prases, and a3a - additional sum not exceeding f £15. Certificates by an inspector of mines t and a doctor are necessary. The payments f fromtho Coal Minere , Belief Fund are, of j courso, additional to any benefits obtained ~ under the Workers Compensation Act, , Finally, Mr. Earner, handed a reporter a , copy of the "N.Z. Muies Record", for i Decembor, 190S t and pointed, to a paragraph i containing particulars of payments to eight I minors from the fund.- >one of these was an employee of the Hikurangi Colliery, and anothor an employeo of the Northern Colliery, Hikurangi. Mr. Hamor added similar paragraphs appear in tho "Record"* every month. PRIME MINISTER'S ACTION CONDEMNED. At the meeting of tho Taranaki Provinoiai .Executive of the' New Zealand Farmeis , Union on Thursday last, the action of Sir , Joseph Ward m indemnifying the State Insnranco Department 'in connection with possible losses through the issue of policies Covering risk for pneumoconiosis in , the rase of miners refusing to undergo medical examination was severely criticised and condemned. , Tho chairman (Mr. Maxwell) traversed the various aspects of the situation, emphasising the injustice involved to ■ policy-holders as JFell as to the general body of taxpayers. r On the motion of Mr. Alllrasen (Kaponga), seconded by Mr. Murray (Eltham), it,was 1 unanimously resolved— "That this Executive emphatically protests against tho action , of the Prime Minister, in offering to indemnify the State Insurance i Department' against ' possible > losses arising out of the issuing of policies to miners without medical examination, and would ask the Dominion Executive to, take action in. the matter In forwarding this resolution, tho Execntivo wish to express" their astonishment at the Premier's ' action in reversing the decision of his own Minister in charge."