MILITANT MINERS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 249, 15 July 1920, Page 8

MILITANT MINERS

THREATEN DRASTIC ACTION. Mr. J. Arbuckle, secretary of the Miners' Federation, has forwarded the following letter to tho Prime Minister: "I havo been instructed by the NewZealand Coal and Gold Miners' Conference, now sitting in Wellington., to in form you that tliey make the following suggestion to you as a means of settling the present disputes in the different mines:—(l) That you' call a conference of four from each side, with yourself u chairman, and that the disputes be settled along the lines followed at the drawing-up of tho national agreement. (2) That the conference be arranged before Monday, July 19. "I am instructed to inform you that in the event of this method not being ndopted, tho whole of the -miners in the federation wKI lake drastic action to force the same. If yuur duties at the present are such that you cannot give the required time to this matter, we arv prepared to accept .Mr. llally us chairman." It is understood that the federation is still firm in its original demand that Mr. Massey shall not have tho power of decision. On tho matter being referred to Mr. VV. Piyor (secretary of the Coal Mineowners Association) he stated that lie was in receipt of a copy of the letter ! which Mr. Arbuckle had sent to the . Prime Minister, and had referred it by r telegraph to the members of the assouia- ■ tion for consideration. Any decision arrived at would hs apnounood at onos.-