COAL COUNCIL

Greymouth Evening Star, 21 July 1944, Page 4

COAL COUNCIL

PRIVATELY-OWNED MINES

“STATE” CONDITIONS IMPOSED WELLINGTON,.JuIy 20. Decisions of the Coal Mines Council on wages and conditions in pri-vately-owned mines were announced to-night. These were made by the Council after an application by the United Mine Workers of New Zealand to it to exercise its power by requiring owners of coal mines to amend various agreements in force by incorporating in them the terms, conditions, and provisions agreed to between the United Mine Workers and the Minister of Mines (Mr. Webb) for work in State coal mines. Concessions embodied in the decisions involve time and a half for all Saturday work, payment for nine additional holidays in the year, an increase in the allotvance for shift work, an extra payment of lid a ton to miners in steep places, a slight alteration in the method of estimating payment for Avork in wet places, an additional allowance of 6d a day to outside workers not sheltered m the course of their work, an allowance to experienced miners Avho take inexperienced men as workmates in coal faces, an increase of 1/2 a day in the minimum wage for miners, payment of transport fares to and from work so that the maximum payment by a worker in any case shall not exceed 8d a day, and an increase in the allowance for miners' travelling time underground. In a letter to the New Zealand Coal Mine Owners’ Association the Chairman of the Coal Mines Council, Mr. John Dowgray suggests that the extra costs, involved should be met by an increase in selling prices, or by a subsidy/'.

RECOMMENDATION TO MINISTER

Mr. Dowgray states in his letter that the following recommendation of the Council was being sent to the Minister of Mines: “After hearing evidence adduced on the question of mining costs, and of the financial position of collieries generally, and having regard to the hazards associated with coal mining, the Coal Mines Council is of opinion that the owners of coal mines are not in a position to meet the additional costs involved in giving effect to the Council’s decisions in the matter of amendments to the various agreements, and should not be required to do so. In the Council’s opinion, therefore the extra costs involved should be met by an increase in selling prices, or by a subsidy, according to the policy of the Government.” Dissent from the decision of the Council was recorded by one of its members, Mr. A. C. Mitchell. He said that in all his experience it had been held essential that an applicant for new provisions in an award or an industrial agreement should furnish proof of necessity for the granting of his application. In this case not one scrap of evidence ivas called by the applicant and the Council was asked to decide this important matter on the unsupported word of the advocate. On the other hand, the employers submitted evidence from several witnesses, which established clearly that mine workers were enjoying shorter hours of work than other industries, that their earnings compared very favourably with those of other workers, and that the industry was already being very heavily subsidised. The only proper conclusion the Council could come to, in the light of these facts, Avas that the application should be dismissed for want of any evidence to support it. A further reason for his dissent was that the decision was in direct conflict with the Economic Stabilisation Emergency Regulations, 1942. OPEN-CUT METHOD. Invited to elaborate on his announcement of the proposal to institute a seven-hour bank-to-bank day for miners, the Minister of Mines (Mr. Webb), this morning, said the plan to bring down legislation was tentative, largely dependent on the quantity of coal recovered under the open-cut method. He expressed confidence that this method would be sufficiently successful to enable the Bill to be brought down. Mr. F. Collindridge, M.P. for Barnsley, said he favoured the opencut method of production'because he felt the coal was there and every ton helped to shorten the war and thereby save lives. With the opencut there was no necessity for training labour, at least to the same extent as in underground work, and the output could bettei' be obtained. In Britain, they had been getting over 5,000,000 tons a year of this type of coal, and their objective was 10,000,000. If New Zealand, at present, with its wonderful section of this type of coal, went in for full production, and this with the underground output gave the nation what was required, the claim in the postwar years to a shortening of the working day would be considerably strengthened.

STOPPAGES IN AUSTRALIA.

MR. CURTIN’S STATEMENT. CANBERRA, July 20. The whole question of discipline on Australian coalfields is expected to be reviewed again here next week. Mr. Curtin will discuss the problem of overcoming mine stoppages, and of enforcing discipline, with the representatives of both the mine owners and the miners. An increase in coal production is vitally needed, because it is believed to be the Cabinet’s view that further rationing cannot be imposed. The question was referred to in the House of Representatives to-day, when Mr. Curtin replied to the Leader of the Country Party, Mr. Fadden, who asked if the Government had any proposals on tlje coal position. Admitting that the Government knew of no further means to increase coal production, Mr. Curtin declared that any strike by coal miners at present was unwarranted.

“I say frankly that the problem is not to be one of an enforcement of law, but of the getting of coal," said Mr. Curtin.' “The law should be enforced, but there were no prisons sufficiently large to gaol those absenting themselves from work. Further replacements of men with skill, ability and experience to do the work could not be found. If this was the only country in the world faced with a similar problem I would feel that there was some remissness on my part calling for a deep personal examination. I find, however, that, regrettably, what is happening in Australia is being paralleled in other countries. Ido not wish to make excuses for what is happening here. It has been acknowledged by me in this House, if I knew how to do better, it would be done.”

In four days this week about twenty-six thousand tons,of coal was lost through stoppages at New South Wales mines. The main trouble is at the Richmond pit, which is closed because the miners are claimed to have been responsible for three stoppages. The coal pool already has lost about fourteen thousand tons of coal on this issue and will lose about twenty-three hundred tons per day until a decision is made. The Richmond miners lodge, with nine hundred and forty members is the largest in Australia. It may be expelled from the Miners’ Federation for its defiance of the Federation’s disciplinary code. This would enable the authorities to manpower a' certain miner who is al-

leged to have been responsible for the recent trouble. The coal owners’ spokesman said that the man concerned was responsible for the loss of eighteen thousand tons of coal this year.