COALMINING

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 101, 25 October 1940, Page 8

COALMINING

WAIKATO DISPUTES

LOSSES TO INDUSTRY

OWNERS MEET

Although the past year had been • comparatively free from serious disputes, those which occurred, particularly in the Waikato district, caused i serious losses both in wages and output, the president of the Coal Mine Owners' Association, Mr. C. C. Davis, stated at the annual meeting of the association yesterday. . The stoppages ' had been due to trivial causes. Mr. Davis detailed the negotiations that had taken place to secure working agreements to replace those that ex-1 ipired last April. Several speakers referred to the relationship between the association and the miners' organisation and the fact that in the main there was between these two bodies a reasonable measure of co-operation. In this connection concern was expressed regarding the remarks which had recently been attributed to the Minister of Mines (the Hon. P. C. Webb) at Denniston, as it was thought such statements could not fail to be detrimental to the efforts being made to increase co-operation between the two organisations and improve the general relationship between miners and their employers. OUTPUT OF COAL. In the discussion which arose out of the annual report several important matters came up for consideration. These included the output of New Zealand coal. The Minister of Mines had said recently that the production of coal in New Zealand during the current year had been substantially higher than for the previous year and in fact the production for 1940 up till the end of September had shown a very substantial increase over the last few years. This, however, did not represent an increased effort on the part of all engaged in the production of coal, it was stated, but was mainly due to an increased demand which had come about because of (1) greater difficulty in securing imports; (2) inci'eased demand for bunkering overseas ships; and (3) the effect of the expansion of New Zealand industries. This increased demand had enabled full time to be. worked at the mines and had also led to an increase in the number of men employed in the industry. Credit was due to the miners' national organisation for having responded to the request of the Government and the mine owners to work on alternate Saturdays for the three winter months which enabled the coal shortage to be overtaken. Some concern was expressed by several members at the fact that the output per man employed in the industry had been showing a steady decrease for some considerable time, there being now a very much larger proportion of day-wage workers to miners than was formerly the case. OFFICERS ELECTED. The following officers were elected: President, Mr. C. C. Davis; vice-presi-dent, Mr. W. A. Flavell; executive members, F. Brooke Taylor, A. Hayward, W. Hardie, F. W. Mitchell, H. Morpeth, and a member to be nominated by the Southland Association.