WAIHI MINE STRIKE

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 87, 9 October 1935, Page 13

WAIHI MINE STRIKE

POSITION UNCHANGED

NEARLY 600 MEN IDLE

(By Telegraph—Press Association.) . WAIHI, This Day. The position regarding the miners' strike remains unaltered and upwards of 600 men are idle. The Prime Minister, replying to the' Mayor (Mr. W. M. Wallnutt), who stressed the seriousness of the position, said: "I have received your telegram urging the intervention of the Government in the Waihi miners' strike, and am looking into your representations." A telegram has also been received from Mr. A. M. Samuel, member for Thames, to the effect that he is urging the Prune Minister to arrange a conference between the parties as suggested. DECISIONS OF) MEETING. At a mass meeting of miners a letter from the Martha Gold Mining Company was received making a variation of the terms submitted by the unions pn Sunday. The company refused the retrospective payment asked by the unions and offered, if the men went back to work, restoration of the 1931 schedule of rates, to be put in operation as from December 31 next, which the meeting considered unreasonable. The meeting reaffirmed its offer made on Sunday to xesume work on restoration of the 10 per cent, cut, to be retrospective to May. 11. .. . ' . Other resolutions were that the offer made to the Martha Company last Sunday by all unions, to continue working operations if the company conceded to its workers the 1931 agreement, to be made retrospective to May 11, was an honest attempt by the unions to arrive at a settlement of the dispute; that the failure of the Martha Company to reply to this offer before the expiration of legal notice to cease work last Monday must now place the responsibility for the - strike on. the Martha Company; that the Martha Company had not at any time during recent negotiations been willing to give an increase in wages until forced to do'under legal notice to strike by its employees; that the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes), being of the opinion that it was now the duty of all employers in a position to do so immediately to restore the 10 per cent, cut, the meeting of Waihi unions urged the Government immediately to give legislative expression- to this opinion in interests vof fair- play to employees and' the economic stability of the Dominion. . >