THE BLACKBALL DISPUTE

Evening Star, Issue 16992, 14 March 1919, Page 8

THE BLACKBALL DISPUTE

A SATISFACTORY SETTLEMENT. A conference between members of the executive of the Coal Mine Owners’ Association and tho Miners’ Federation was held at Wellington yesterday, at the suggestion of the Minister of Mines (Hon. W. D. S. Macdonald), and was attended by Sir George Clifford, Messrs W. Reeoo, T. S. Weston, W. A. Faveil, and A. M’Kellar (representing the Mino Owners’ Association), and Messrs O’Rourke, O’Brien, Williams, Balderstone, and Glover (representing the Miners’ Federation). The Minister opened the conference, and said the directors of the Blackball Company had agreed to his suggestion that the matter of the reinstatement of the recentlydismissed men should be referred to the two executives for consideration, and he expressed the hope that an amicable settle xnent would result. A settlement was arrived at on the following terms: In view of its being conceded by the New Zealand Miners' Federation that the action of the men which caused their dismissal at Blackball was a mistake on their part in regard to tho agreement existing, and therefore the dismissal did not amount in any sense to victimisation, as has been publicly alleged, the Blackball Company agrees to reinstate the dismissed miners as from Monda' next, 17th inst.