COAL DISPUTE

Evening Post, Volume C, Issue 54, 1 September 1920, Page 7

COAL DISPUTE

AGREEMENT REACHED ,

PRIME MINISTER EXPLAINS POSITION

Statements made in the House of Representatives last night by the Prime Minister were to the effect that the dispute; between the coal miner* and the mine owners had been settled. When the House met at 7.30 p.m., Mr. Massey said he was very glad to be able to inform members that considerable progress had been made in the settlement- of the coal dispute. Members would recollect that when he had found it impossible to give the necessary time to the Disputes Committee, he had appointed Mr. P. Hally to take his place. Since then Mr. Hally. had been very actively engaged, and that night he had been informed officially that an agreement had been reached.. Mr. Massey then read the following statement from Mr. Hally :—

"The following agreement has been signed by the representatives of both parties : 'Subject to Mr. Hally being able to secure the agreement of the insurance company interested to remove the condition it has imposed regarding an indemnity in connection with the employment of Manderson, both sides agree to abide by the (Incisions of Mr. Hally with regard to p.uy matters in dispute in the Green Island and Taratu mines, and that the ordinary work in all mines should be resumed forthwith. It is agreed that the questions in dispute in the Mataura and Gore mines should be dealt with by the federation and the mine owners concerned, and should not be made a matter to affect other mines of the Dominion.' Further to the above, I -may state that I waited upon the general manager of the Commercial Union Assurance Company (Mr. Ewen), and ascertained that no embargo had been placed upon Mr. Manderson or any other employee of Messrs. Christie, Green Island. In order that this statement should be confirmed, it was arranged between Mr. Ewen and myself that Mr. Pryor (representing the Coal Mine Owners' Association) and Mr. Arbuckle (representing the Miners' Federation) should be present, and again Mr. Ewen reiterated the above statement. This removes the last difficulty that should exist in connection with the disputes that were heard by the National Disputes Committee, and within the course of a day or two I will make an award covering the whole matter." The Prime Minister added that tha matters in dispute had been of no great importance, but there had been a danger that, there would develop a very serious position. He hoped, however, the trouble was now at an end, and that peace would continue for a very long time to come.