MINERS REPLY TO CRITICISM

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 226, 22 June 1939, Page 5

MINERS REPLY TO CRITICISM

Owners Blamed For Stoppages NEED TO IMPORT MEN DENIED Any Coal Shortage Hehl Only Temporary By Telegraph—Press Association. GREYMOUTH, June 21. The statement of the chairman of the Coal Owners’ Association, Mr. C. C. Davis, that there was a shortage of coal and that the miners, would not work is described as “absurdly biased and inaccurate” by the secretary of the United Mine Workers, Mr. A. McLagan, who expresses surprise at a responsible officer of the association making it. "It is true that there is at present in some parts of New Zealand only a temporary shortage of coal. Io that extent only is Mr. Davis's statement true. In all other respects it is hopelessly incorrect and misleading, he says. ' . j . "At some mines the daily production is much greater than can be disposed of and the mines being laid Idle for lack of orders. The I’aparoa mine lost four days last week for want of orders, and, on present prospects, will continue to lose time every fortnight for the same reason. One Otago mine is working only half time. One Southland mine put off 24 miners last month. Other instances can be given if required. "Additional men can be employed in a few mines, for instance, in the Waikato district, but absolutely no accommodation is available in that distriet, and miners obtaining work there are unable to take it, because they cannot get accommodation. “It is foolish to talk of importing miners when there are already more than enough New Zealand miners to supply all the country’s possible coal requirements. Hundreds of miners now in other occupations would return to the mines if conditions of work were attractive enough. "The fact that so many prefer to work in isolated areas on public works is sufficient reply to Mr. Davis’s statement about high, wages. Du ring. 1931 and 1932 no fewer dhan 1500 miners were driven out of coal-mining by Mr. Davis and other coal owners, yet, though trade had fallen off and work was slack, miners were willing to share the work with their mates working day and week about at no extra cost to employers. Complaint of Lock-Out. "Mr. Davis locked out the men at the Dobson mine for five-months, because they wanted to share work. After being starved into submission, half of them were dismissed to look for nonexistent jobs or eat grass, for all Mr. Davis seemed to care. Most other coalowners did the same thing in 1931 and 1932, honourable exceptions being the State Collieries and the Stocktou Company. "It was not by accident that the firstdismissals were of men active in union affairs, regardless of ability, service or family responsibilities. Mass dismissals continued up to 1938. "One task of miners’ representatives has been trying to persuade owners not to dismiss men willing to share work at no extra cost to the employers. Some owners’ representatives soon saw the folly of dismissals and tried to obviate them, but not Mr. Davis, who always claims the employer’s divine right to fire men at his own sweet will. "There is no shortage of coalminers in New Zealand. Any temporary shortage has been brought about by the owners. Is it any wonder that the activities of Mr. Davis and others during the depression made many miners reluctant to return to the mines. Miners’ Earnings.

“Mr. Davis quoted Liverpool State miners earning £l/16/3 dally, and multiplied it by five, saying that their weekly average was £9/1/3. Had he quoted the same statistics further, he would have had to say that the Liverpool mine worked 200 days during the year in question and the maximum earnings could not exceed £362/10/-. less than £7 weekly. James miners’ earnings were £l/7/11 daily, with a possible yearly maximum of £325, little better than £6 weekly. The average yearly earnings of State mines employees were £271, little over £5 weekly. ‘‘lf Mr. Davis knew these figures he should have quoted them. If he was unaware he is unqualified' to make a statement on the industry. I could give plenty of instances of stoppages caused by owners refusing to submit disputes to the disputes committee under coal mine agreements, but they would not be featured in the Press as Mr. Davis’s statement was. “Miners cannot be blamed for any really important cause of loss of production. I suggest that ho give the number of man shifts lost yearly from the following causes: (1) Idle days because of ‘no orders’; (2) shipping not promptly available at Greymouth and Westport; (3) shortage of railway trucks; (4) breakdown of colliery plants; (5) underground fires, gas accumulations, roof falls and Hoods; (6) obsolete and inadequate haulage systems. These are the causes of 80 per cent, loss of potential production. “Tiie average miner does more work in a mouth than the average mineowner in a lifetime, and works harder than most men, eight hours daily, underground, in a vitiated atmosphere. A shorter working day lias been introduced in some countries and could well be introduced in New Zealand.”