MISUNDERSTOOD?

Evening Post, Volume CII, Issue 34, 9 August 1921, Page 8

MISUNDERSTOOD?

MINE-OWNERS' INTENSIONS

NO DESIRE TO BREAK UP MINERS'

FEDERATION.

Correspondence continues to pass between the Mine-owners' Association and the Miners' Federation concerning the non-settlement of the mining dispute. There is no indication that the parties are getting any closer together. The latest letter from Mr. T. O. Bishop, actingsecretary of the Mine-owners' Association, to Mr. Arbuckle, of the Miners' Federation, explains itself. It is as follows :—

"Dear Sir, —I wish to acknowledge .your letter of the 4th inst. (published in The Post of that date), and desire to clear lip what appears to be a misunderstanding on your part of the in-, tentions of the coal mine-owners in seeking to make local agTeements. "You say there can be only one .reason for the present attitude of this ■ association, and that is the separation of the different unions,. and the bursting up of the federation so that the unions may be defeated singly, and oH conditions, which were a disgrace to the coal-owners, may be again enforced. This is not, however, at all a fair presentment of the case. "The Miners' Federation has been in existence for some ten or twelve years, and the experiment of a national agreement was not tried till a little more than a year ago. If the federation existed for all those years, and presumably fulfilled the purpose of the miners in the absence of ? national agreement, wherein lies the danger to the existence of the federation in reverting to the system of making local agreements ? , "The coal companies are convinced, by past experience, that the, only practical method of making arrangements is to make them locally at each mine or district after discussion by the representatives of those who will subsequently have tc" carry them out, and they are not prepared to allow their agreements to be made for them in any other way, even ,by, the Coal' Mine-owners' Associaation. !

"The association is not seeking'to interfere with the internal affairs of your federation, or the relationship between your organisation and the several unions, nor are they seeking to revert to any old conditions that were unsatisfactory.

"You say that a meeting between the presidents and secretaries of our organisations would be fruitless, as the miners at their recent conference decided to stand or fall by the national agreement, but, as you have all along been acting under a misunderstanding of the owners,' objects, it is quite possible that such a meeting might not be fruitless, and I therefore repeat tho invitation to your president and yourself, and trust that you will accept it."