COMMITTEE VIEW ACCEPTED BY MINES MINISTER

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23269, 2 June 1950, Page 6

COMMITTEE VIEW ACCEPTED BY MINES MINISTER

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, June 2. The Minister of Mines, Mr. W. Sullivan. announced yesterday that he had accepted the recommendation of the special committee set up to report on the Alison Mine dispute at Huntly. The committee’s recommendation was that payment be made to the trucker concerned and the Minister had ordered payment to be made forthwith. The Minister said it was regrettable that the men had not accepted the advice of their own union executive to continue working and place the dispute, before the local disputes committee for settlement. Had this been done the men would not have lost over £II,OOO in wages and the country would not have lost the production of some In,ooo tons of coal. , “On the evidence before me, said Mr. Sullivan, "I felt that the _ amount involved was trivial and whilst the decision of in ceasing work was indefensible there were good reasons, in the interests of the community, why a committee should oe set up to ascertain the facts and bring forward a fair and just finding. “The men maj r be assured that, where well-founded claims of disputes arise, the Government will be ready always to have such questions immediately investigated with fairness to all concerned, thus avoiding stoppages and consequent loss of home income.”