Cheap Coal Supply

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 October 1946, Page 2

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[TO THE EDITOR.] . Sir, —“Only a Ltiyman s letter will also come as a ' “shock and a surprise,” not only to miners but also to .others who understand the true facts of the business about Which he has complained. We will leave his sneer about the miners controlling the Government to commonsense. The nttmerical. proportion Of the miners to oilier Workers answers that.

Yoili - correspondent approves of a station at the Cobden end of the bridge,. (He must live at Cobden). I’ll take the praise for that. A bicycle shed to, protect the miners’ bicycles —his attitude is not stated, and so I will take the.blame or the praise for that jtlst as he looks at it. Increase (very small) to wages men which he resents, “as it is far tob much for the work they do.” Layman brings his objection tOo late as the increase is now approved by the Stabilisation Commission and I am sure his objection would have carried some weight if he had advanced it in time. Coal at niiners’ rates (not free) to worriout miners is a terrible thing to “Layman.” It is also supplied to the Widows Of men killed in the mine, if they are left with children. Horrible to contemplate! Does “Layman” and his co-traducers of the miners ever give a thought to the fact that coal is stained hot only with sweat but with the life blood of men who produce it. A miner with two sons would not get any extra coal, but just his 12 Loads a year as per agreement at the average price the miner gets for winning it. A little effort in arithmetic 'etc.,.for “Layman” here—from 3/per ton to the miner for his toil and risk to “Layman’s” quoted prices. The rest of “Layman’s” statements are so. obviously from either a prejudiced or ill-informed source - that they can be ignored. He apparently forgot to mention guaranteed minimum wage, paid holidays etc. I cannot imagine “Layman” as having music in his sbul, and so I would advise him to get a musical friend to compose for him a hymn of hate to the miners, and then, whenever we get some hard-won concession, he, with a few of his kind can chant it. It will save him the trouble of writing a lot of inaccurate and spiteful balderdash to the press.

In conclusion I would advise “Layman” if he feels so unhappy about the miners getting something like decent conditions, to take a day or two and visit some of the minps and see the conditions under which men work. Particularly I would suggest that he put in a day at Stockton mine in the wet section, where men work under such conditions that only four and five hoim shifts can be endured. He would then perhaps look with more tolerance and fair-mindedness on the miner and his work.—Yours, etC ” GEO. E. ENGLISH, President, Runanga State Miners’ Union.

[TO THE EDITOR.] Sir,—ln answer to this person who signs himself “Layman,” I think he could have made his letter short and signed it “Lay”—he is riot entitled to the “man” part. In the first place he has no knowledge of the coal mining industry and he is evidently a hidebound Tory, arid only considers figures that suit the class which he supports. Now, to come doWri to facts, I will quote figures that will not lie. They cari be verified at the State Mines* office from the recofds of that time. James Colliery No. 11. G. Stanton and PascUto:

Now, estimate the coal at £1 per ton. We received £4B, and the employer got £l4B out of me and my mate for ten days’ work. Truly a most noble effort on the part of the employer! This was real good pay, and not many on that pay day got near it, and yet this man has the cheek to say that the taxpayer is paying for the old worn-out miner’s coal (who will have to pay cost price for it). . . . I wonder if this critic ever did a useful day’s work in his life or if he is one of the cult who believe in “by the sweat of the other man’s brow shalt thou eat thy bread.” In conclusion I will say that what the miners have to-day in conditions, they can thank the fight put up by their fathers and mothers through strikes and hardships, and they should hang on to what they have got. I was for 40 years a miner. Yours, etc., Trr^T GEORGE STANTON.

(Our correspondent forwarded- a certificate signed by a Justice of the Peace, certifying that the figures given above conformed to the wages sheet. The James mine has been closed for some time, and in order to be clear on the period for which the figures related, we asked the Mines Department to confirm the date. Without referring back to the actual pay referred to by dur correspondent, the department informs us that Mr. Stanton has not worked at the James Colliery for over 20 years. He is therefore, apparently referring to conditions as they were then—Editor, Evening Star).

10 Shifts:— 195 tons coal £39 6 5 17 yards £7 1 8 12 sets timber £1 0. 9 Total £47 8 10 Deductions £12 18 11 Leaving £34 9 4 11 Equal to £17 11 per man.