STATE MINES

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 November 1934, Page 2

STATE MINES

SHORT-TIME PROBLEM. The short time being worked by the Liverpool and James State mines was referred to by Mr W. Pendlebury, secretary of the State Miners’ Union, and he informed a “Star” representative, to-day, that it was very doubtful, so poor were the earnings of the miners, whether Santa Claus would visit them this Christmas. Under present conditions, he said, few of the miners were averaging more than three or four shifts per fortnight. The James mine has worked only three shitts m the past three weeks, and the Liverpool mine- has worked six and a-ha shifts in .the same period. Mr Pendlebury stated that the James mine was producing a very unsuitable coal for the market, which was not able to compete with the other coals from the same Icality. If the James mine were to be put in the way of regaining markets, it would be far more effective to place the men in mining a good quality of coal, instead of having to deal with a material that was half stone, and which limited their earnings to such an extent that they were making as little as 5/- per day. He stated that a pair of men at James mine, after .all off-taxes and stores had been deducted, amounting to £2/9/4, went home with the “proud” su,m of £2/5/5 between them, say £l/2/6 each, for the last pay ot four shifts; the amount on which they were required to keep their families on being less than the off-taxes by 4/-. Another pair of men took home £4/8/11' between them for four shifts each, after all of the off-taxes, amounting to £4/14/10, had been deducted. There was a minimum wage clause in the agreement, which read: “If a miner, through no fault of ins own, should fail to make the minimum wage, it should be made up accordingly.” The minimum wage was 16/2, and this question, he said, would be fou.ght to a finish. It was not a fair deal, under existing conditions. Referring to the conference held with the object of reaching a new agreement for the State miners, Mi Pendlebury pointed out that it was held on September 28, but no reply had yet been received from the Undersecretary of Mines (Mr A. Tyndall).