THE COAL MINERS.
TELEGRAMS
THE MEN'S ATTITUDE
OFFICIAL STATEMEN T
(Pet- Press Association.)
WELLINGTON, Tliis Day. An official statement of the attitude of the men, signed by Messrs O'llorke, Semple, and Parry contends: We have notasked for a variation in the existing' agreements in the way the employers wish to imply. The only question is one of adjust-. meat of wages, which is imperative owing' to the increase in the cost of living. The employers' suggestion of a bonus is condemned as a specding'-up expedient and leading to increased acculents.
In reply to the employers' statement Hint the miners' wages range from 17s to 25s daily, the miners point out that the average working days per annnm are 240. Taking lps 10M per shift, the actual earnings are +'23B 13s per annum, hut from this has to he deducted £29 for explosives, light tools, miners' expenses and cost of based on the budgets compiled by working* miners' wives averaging in 1918 £219 3s 3d pel* annum to cover the necessaries for man, wife and three children, but does not cover union fees, medical subscription, insurance association and other incidentals, including- recreation, all to be met out of the balance of £l9 9s 9d per annum. The financial position of the miner in 1918 was 55 pe roent. inferior to his position in 1914. The only increase in "wages since the war was V7h per cent, in wages. A man on 12s a day in 1918 was worse off than when receiving- 10s in 1914 by £37 3s 3d per annum. The miners to-day are producing more coal per man per day than at any time in the history of the country. The output per man in New Zealand is "a world's re-
TELEGRAMS
cord-" The increase in the price of State coal for cash since 1912 in Wellington, Christohurch, Dunedin and Wanganui ranged from 3s to Gs a ton. The increase of retail by private companies ranged from Gs Gd to 28s per ton. The average increase of hewing rates per ton were 4M to sd. So far as the Miners' Federation is: concerned it is still open for negotiations.
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Bibliographic details
Greymouth Evening Star, 20 July 1918, Page 2
Word Count
360THE COAL MINERS. Greymouth Evening Star, 20 July 1918, Page 2
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