PAPAROA MINE

Greymouth Evening Star, 15 September 1924, Page 2

PAPAROA MINE

dispute Over award rate®.

Declaring that the coal in which they were working was solid, and that they should receive the solid, and not pillar rates, provided under the award, four miners employed at Paparoa, Edward Tippett, Robert Methven, Thomas Smyllie and F. Biddulph, at the Warden’s Court, before Mr W. Meldrum, to-day, claimed from the Receivers and Managers of the Paparoa Coal Mine Company. £2O/7/- extra, pay, representing the. difference between the pillar rates, as at 2/10 per ton, and the solid rates, as at 3/2 3-4 d. The owners contended that there was nothing to justify the men’s claihi, and stated that if it were upheld there would be hardly any pillar workings in the mine. Mr W. J. Joyce appeared for the plaintiffs, and Mr J. W. Hannan for the defendants.

Mr Joyce said that the plaintiffs had been working at the mine for some time, and there was a dispute as to whether they were working on half coal or pillared coal. The original award had been amended, as a result )of the mining deadlock last year. The men claimed that they had been working on solid instead of on pillared coal, a difference of 2/10 as to 3/2 3-4 d. Under the award an amendment was made on the lines of the Westport award, in which pillar working was defined. At the place where the plaintiff’s were working, there was seven feet of coal, off the floor, being more than four feet. They contended that it. was a solid place. Ernest Tippett, a miner at Paparoa, said that he and Robert Methven were mates, and that the other two plaintiffs were their cross-mates. With, the aid of a diagram, he described l their “place,” stating that there was more than four feet of coal. To Mr Hannan: He had been employed at the mine five or six years-. He had not struck so much solid coal before, and could not recollect any claim being made, such as that before the Court.

Andrew "Whitman, check inspector, said he was asked by the Union, to have a look at the place in company with the other check inspector, Mr Chadwick. The men were working on seven feet of solid coal. < ’ To Mr Hannan: He had known men on previous occasions to be working on solid coal, but no claim had been made during his experience. Frederick Woolstonholme, butcher, of Paparoa, said that at Blackball, he had worked for a number of years_ and had a dispute with the Blackball Company when he made a claim in resnect of six feet of bottomed coal. Willlidm Robert Smith, miner at Runanga, and secretary of the miners’ union there, said that there was a definition of pillar working in their award. He had not known of any claims being made. James Minchin, a carpenter at Paparoa.. also gave evidence. William Balderstone, District Secretary of the Miners’ Union, described a pillar as a body of coal that could be walked around. That was the definition generally accepted By the miners. He believed that Mr Sinclair’s definition, upon which the present claim was based, was incorporated in the national agreement of the State and miners.

Tn reply to Mr Hannan, witness admitted that there was no specific definition of “pillar” in the Paparoa award.. He contended, however, that a definition of pillar would naturally arise out of any dispute ovei* a split pillar, which was referred to in the first clause of the award.

Mr Hannan, in opening the case for defendants, said that there was no defiition’ of “pillar” in the award. The Union had insisted that the definition be included, but the employers refused to let it apply to mines in the Grey district, as under it there would be no pillars at all in the Paparoa mines. Evidence would be called to show that the Union wanted the definition included, but that the management refused. Alphonsus O’Donnell mine manager at Roa, said he had been at ,the Roa mine for_eight years. He was mining there for four years, and after that was underviewer for three years. On account of the inclination of the seam the bottom coal was almost invariably left in. Almost every pillar that was taken out of the mine brought about' conditions of this kind. Claims had been made, but not in the last two or three years, although it was almost a daily occurrence to find conditions of the kind. He had seen similar conditions at Blackball. He was present at a conference in Reefton afjjer the stoppage of work. One of the men’s demands was that the definition of “pillar” as applied to the Buller District should apply to the Roa mine, but the demand was refused, as if it were allowed there would hardly be a' pillar allowed and •solid rates would have to be paid for the whole of the coal.

To Mr Joyce: He did not remember asking, as a member of the Union, for ® definition of pillar workings from Mr Duggan, then Inspector of Mines. At Westport the Disputes Committee gave a definition of pillars, and the Stockton mine agreed to adhere to the ruling. The Union wanted this incorporated in .the Paparoa agreement, but the management refused. He agreed with the miners’ broad definition of a pillar that it was a body ot coal that could be walked round. (Proceeding.)