THE COAL DEADLOCK

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 259, 20 July 1918, Page 9

THE COAL DEADLOCK

THE MINERS' CASE REPLY.OF FEDERATION TO COAL Tho following statement has been drafted by the coal miners in reply to (he Coal Mino Owners' Association:— "After protracted efforts, ' extending ovnr a period of seven months, on the part of the Miners' Federation to arrange a_ conference with the Coal Miners' Association for'the purpose of discussing a demand made by Iho miners for a 2<l per cent, increase on the present rales of pay, and in spite- of the recont. attempt of the Government to bring about such a conference, flio Owners' Afsociation. has resolutely refused'to met us, unci, consequently, our endeavour to achieve an amicable settlement of the matters in dispute has proved abortive, and a deadlock lias been renehiid* The employers mado a public slntement on the matter annic seven or eight days ago, wliilo negotiations were still goirig on brhVera the Government art! tho miners.' On Hit , -other hand, the miners icfused in make m pul/lir; >;'atem';i'.l: until all possible aveinu's bed been clpna! against a setUui'.oi'l. Wo ieel thai our position is such, owing to the employers refusing to jirsel us, and the Ciovcniincut's overture having failed in bring about a conference, that a puolic statement of our case is necessary. In tho Coal Mine Owners' Association's reply to the Government, a resolution is embodied as follows:— That as agreements havo been entered into between individual coal mino owners and individual miners' unions, this association' is of opinion that consideration of any question of varying terms of any agreements should only be made between the contracting parties. Therefore, the reqm-st for a conference between tho Coal Mine Owners' Association, and

tho Miners' Federation is unnecessary.

. Tho.',above resolution, which was the first crimed by tlio'mine owners' conference, was tlio finding of a national association endeavouring to impose its deci sions on individual local uuions, and tlveso decisions aro backed up by all the powers.of national organisation. Further, in spite of. this utilisation ,of its united strength us a national body, backed up as it is by a still larger national organisation (the Employers' federation), the association refuses to entertain the proposal of a conference with tho Coal Miners' Federation. 'J. Jus means, in plain language, that their; national organisation reluses to meet the national organisation of miners. Tho eecond resolution passed by the Coal! Owners' Conference was as follows-: That as existing industrial agreements ■ mado under the Industrial. Conciliation and Arbitration Acts have only been recently entered into between tho Miners' Union and the respective mining companies and hayo still a considerable .period of currency, and as there aro no justi- . fiablo grounds- for any further increase in wages, in view of the fact that the earnings of coal mine vrork- : era who work full available time compare moro than favourably with .those of other classes of workers, tho coal' mino owners cannot sec their way to iigrco to vary the terms of existing agreements. This resolution implies that the coal miners do not work lull available time, and that there is no justifiable grounds' for n further -increase in wages, and as a result .they (the owners) cannot sec their way to vary existing agreements. We wish it to be clearly understood that tlio miners are not asking for a variation in existing agreements, in tho way tliat-the employers wish to imply. Wo hu'vo ; iiot asked ,lor any change \in the' working conditions or any alteration in the body of the agreements. The ouly question at i63uo is one of a readjustment, of wages, iind this readjustment has been made, imperative owing to the increased cost of living. No far the only ..proposals.for an alteration of tho.coii.(iitions at-, present specified in tho agreements have been put forward by the Coal Owners'. Association itself, and these proposals have for their object the speeding up of the men, and wherover they have been adopted have resulted in a large increase in accidents.

It is alleged by the conl owners, who make ■no attempt to provo their stateinent,.tliat there is no justifiable grounds for an increase in wages. They merely make a vague assertion thnt the miners "were earning very high wages, ranging from 17s. to 24<s. and 255. per dny." Now, what is the real position of tho miners actually engaged in howinj coal, whoso earnings arc higher than the miners who work on wages? The coal owners' estimate, of the miners' wages as .ranging from 17s. to 255. per day, in computed by a method wmilar to that adopted in the calculation of tho wages of- an actor, who, receiving X 5 for' a thirty-minutes' turn, is credited with an income of |idO per day, oi'i 4J2SO per, week. Consideration' is not given in this caso to the fimo during which the, actor does not work-, nor to the fact that somo aclore aro better thnn others.

The coal owners' 'statement is analogous, no allowance being miule by them for ,the time the miner does not work, or for tho varied conditions under which ho works, or- for fho fact that some men are physically, stronger than others. It must be remeriibercd that tho coal miner works on an average only 2-lfl days in the year, because 52 Sundays, 26 pay satlirdays, '17 holidays, mid a total of 30 days for accidents, sickness, breakdowns 'of niachinery, gas, fails, timber, want of shipping; transit, etc, must be deducted.

According to figures produced by the Crown' Prosecutor at Auckland in 1917, during the trials of tho miners' leaders, in order to prove that the miners went slow, the. average wage"throughout New Zealand was 18s. ed.'pcr day prior to me alleged go-slow policy. As Die accused miners' officials were convicted on this evidence,.wo presume wi; can lake it as reliable. As n matter of fact it was accepted, and published in a pamphlet by the Employers' Federation. To (his must be added a,7V per ccnl. increase that the millers have rec.ehed nince the average wage was compiled bj the Crown Prosecutor, which would bring the total to 19s. 10.U1. bit shift. This wagt.un first sight might seem rather high, bin when multiplied by 2!0, the average namber of ,days worked, tho actual year's earnings' are 'JC23S Ilk Against this 5 early income lie jins nn outlay in IMS of JJ2I9 3s. 3d., based upim a budget compiled by (he working minors' wives in (lie various districts. This. Budget covers tlio ..iiowssnrits oi lite, ior a man, win , , and ihree children, wnicli is, according to. our statistics, tliu average family. Jt also includes Xi'i ior exptusives, lignt, and tuuis, ttc, uiucli Jiiu.sc b? bought by the ■juiner, iiud winch were uuivenienlly forgotten by the coal owners, when stuuiig the "vwy'hijjli . «ages carnud by the miners."

We wish it to. be' understood that tho Budget just covers'bare upkeep, and docs Jiot include union lees, accident asjuciatioii, medical subscription, newanancrs, lodge dues, insurance, crockery,* ironmongery, lurniUirc,. books, education, or recrciition.

It wilt be scon .Hiat the miners' financial balance at the end of the"year is £10 Us. Sd., 'out of which ho has lo provide for nil the essentials not included in the household budget, and in addition miilio provision for old age. In wiler Unit Hit; miners' oiisu should be clearly understood ; a tumpiu-ifon, based upon llit< domestic budget, must b<! made between his'financial uosition, us shown in hi'j yearly, balance" to-day, with that of inn. Such a comparison proves that the miner at present is approximately !i3 per cent, to tho bad; his surplus alter paying for bare ncct'ssaries, out of which ho has to meet all tho family expenses not included in the budget, has been reduced to that extent.

Tlio miners' wngu in HIM was lfts. lOid. l)or day, that is, according to the average wugo quoted )jy (lie Crown Prosecutor at Auckland in 1917, 10 per cent boing added (hiring tho tlnee years' between 11*1-1 and 1317. Hero against' lot us nuiltiply bis.daily wage by tlio actual dayd worked, 2W. This makes his income for tlio year 1911 J!201 lCs. 4d. F against nn outlay of £IU 18s. 3d., including o£2o 10s. for explosives, lights, tools, etc. Thus, lio . was left a balance, over and abovo bare upkoep;

of .£SO 17s. lid. in 1911, as against a balance) in 1818 of .£l9 9s. !)d. Let it bo here noted that the'difference between the cost of living for tho same budget in iUM and that of 1918-was .£7l is. 10d., as against the rise in earnings of .1:36 lCs. Bd.

It will bo seen by those figures that the minor is not so, well paid as the coal owners would, have tho public helievf, and that-there is some justification for the miners' demand.

The only increase received by Ihe miners in wages from the commencement of the war to date is 17J per cent.

Shto by side with this 17A per cent, increase in wages, the index figures of (lie- (lioverunient Statistician show that tho increased cost of tho three combined fond {jrimpo for the Dominion, excluding clothing, boots, household utensil;, rent, etc., lias risen ao.fl per ceut. We now come to Ihe men who work on wages in and around the mines. Their earnings arr very much lower than tho=e of .the miners engaged at the face, while tho '■midilifljw under which these men work nn- similar to those of the miners, the average time worked by them is 255 days as against 210.

It might Iw asked why tho wages men work more tiino than the hewer* of (-ual. That is c-xplaiitoi by the fact tlmt those irien are not subjected to tho same loss at -time as the hewers are, through timber, pllla-rs, fall of roof, breakdowns, shipping, transit, etc.

The wages man in 1911 was receiyiig aii average of 10s. i«r day. Thin, multiplied by 2,u working days, made liis income ,£127-lOs., against au oullny ,of XVli -at. bcl., leaving him a balance of •C 3 Is. 7d. to cover essentials not included in the Budget, and to provide i'or old age. In 1918 the average wage of this section of the mine workers was lls. per day, which, multiplied by 255 days, gives him an income of .£153 per year, against an outlay' of iCIBO 3s. 3d., leaving a deficit of hi 3s. 3d. It will no doubt bo asked how ; this section of the mineworkers live. The answer is that such men can only manage to struggle ftlong on a lowered standard of living. Not only is the coal owners' statement misleading, but it is also self-contradic-tory. They first state that there is lio adequate reason for an' increase- in wages or for any variation of the existing agreements. Yet they proceed to slate that "the niining companies are prepared to outer into contracts which will materially increnso the earnings of truckers, nitl thus remove any complaints as k> the rate 3 of pay being received." It will bo noticed that the mine ownors acknowledge the existence of a. grievance in connection with present rates, and by their alternative propctala—themselves of a most vicious nature—they in effect concede the justice of the men 8 claims. Why the- coal owners aro anxious to make these variations in the body of tho agreements is quite obvious. Their adoption means the speeding-up system, which is repugnant to the miners and a forerunner of increased accidents. Tho implication of the coal owners that the miners could <]p more work is surely not put forward seriously, in view of tt.e fact that the miners of New Zealand are to-day producing more coal per man than at nny other time in the history of the country. Indeed, as mining statistics prove, tho output per- miner in New Zealand is a world's record. i r et, in face of this, the owners ask the Government to appeal to tho miners' patriotism; to increase the output of coal. This trading upon the word "patriotism" will bo estimated by the public at its proper value. Wo are tempted to suggest tlmt the consumers of coal could with greater reason appeal to the owners, in the -'name of patriotism, in connection with tho increase in the price of coal, particularly when it is compared with tho increase in tho hewing rates received by the miner. These increases in retail prices;, extending over a period of six years, together with the average increase per'ton in hewing rates, are as follow:—

S Average increase, In- liowing crease, rates Oaph price, in 6 per Class 1912. 1918. years, toft of coat. s.. d, 8. ci. s. <i. (1. WellingtonState 31 0 37 0 6 0 41 •Wcstport ... 36 0 50 0 11 0 4& Australian ... 36 0 52 0 l<s 0 — Chriatchurch— . State (Aug.) 35 0 39 0 4 0 4V Westport ... 39 0 57 0 18 0 55 Australian ... 35 0"" 60 0' 25 (T — Blackball ... 30 0 58 0 28 0 5 Duncdin— Slate 33 0 38 0 ' 5 0 <H Westporl ... 36 0 60 6 14 6 A\ Australian ... 36 0 52 0 16 0 - Kaitancata, 30 6 42 6 12 0 4? . Creen Inland 19 6 26 0 6 6 % Wan&anui— State 35 0 38 0 3 0 41 • Westport ... 40 0 60 0 1& 0 4-V Australian ... 40 0 60 0 20 0 — Tho increases in tho retail prico of State coal ranges from 3s. to (is. per ton. The increase in the retail prices of private companies' coal ranges from Gs. Gd. to 28s. per ton. The increase which- the miner has received for hewing the coal ranges from -Id. to sd. per lon, and the miner has' to pay for his tools, tho price of which have increased over 100 per cent. Thu abovo statistics show that tho price of coal in bulk has increased from fis. to 2i>s. per ton, while tho miners' increase has only been -J!d. to sd. per ton. This latter cannot surely bo considered a very "unpatriotic " increase, when compared with that imposed by the owners. We are anxious that tho public of this country should be conversant with tlie position us it afreets both the. miner and the consumer of coal, and with that end in viow we are prepared to place all our cards on the table, and let the public be the jury. Wo are firmly of the opin : ion that neither dignity nor prestige would be lost by either the coal owners or the minors if both sides agreed to meet, in conference for the purpose of free and open discussion of tho matters involved, but that on the contrary the best interests of tho community would be served by such a meeting. . In conclusion wo would point out that the Miners' Federation has endeavoured in- every possible way to avoid anything that might conceivably lead up to an industrial dislocation. They have already done' their utmost at a.great expense to the various miners' unions,, to bringabout a conference which they feel certain would be tlie preliminary "to a satisfactory settlement. In this course of action the miners have mainly been iniluenccd .by the serious shortage of coal supplies at present existing, ' and the hardship which that shortage entails, to the public in general, but mdro particularly to the poorer classes. So far as the Miners' Federation is concerned it is still open for negotiations.' ' Meanwhile we hy our case before the people of New Zealand, , confidently believing that they will agree, llfkt our attitude is a reasonable one, and thai, it is the duty of the Government to take such ileps a.< are necessary and just to bring about a consultation between the ("ual Owners , Association and the .Miners' Federation. | On behalf of executive: (Sgd.) 1. , . O.KuUJiKi:, President. (SSgii.J l<. SEill'Ll 1 ), Aimers' Agent. (bgd.MV. E. i'AiiKY, am-ctuiy. ■