BLACKBALL DISPUTE

Grey River Argus, 1 May 1931, Page 6

BLACKBALL DISPUTE

i At. a general meeting of tin* Black- i ball Miners’ Union held on 26th A [Til. a report was given by the national mid district representatives of th* proposals that had been made to th»* company for the settlement of th' dispute and also of the efforts that had borii made to obtain a conference to discuss the proposals. The Alliance of Labour, Mill. E. Holland M.P. and the Minister of Minos hud all approached the com- I pany in order to got them to moot the I miners’ representatives, but to no purpose. The company 'had refused Io take part in a conference. The head of the company informed | the Minister of Mines that No 9 Pip ' ■was definitely abandoned, and that the i company intended to re-open No 2 Dip and hoped to employ from 40 to 45 men there in two or three weeks time, j by the union, including a proposal made ' by the manager the previous day that ’ the union should provide six mon to • withdraw the gear from the top of I No 9 D'n. This was unanimously turn ed down the meeting be’ng of the opinion that it was only a move to get the 1 gear cut of the mine and that it would not lend to the opening up of No 2. Dip. The National Council’s reconimenda-. tion regarding the dispute was adopted by 154 otes to 23. and th? union representatives were instructed to interview the manager to find out if the company had anv proposal to make for the open ing up of No 2 Dip. When approached, the manag r slated that he had no ins Duet iojis regardini.’ the working of No 2 Dip. and was not in a position to discuss it. In any case, he sivd. the companv did not have enough power available at ; present to work No 2. and did not expect to get sufficient power from the L Grey Power Board for probably six r months. He did not intend to restart the comp°ny’s own power plant as he contended it was too expensive. The union representatives informed the manager that thev were prepared to discuss the re-opening of No 2 Dip nt any time and hoped- that ho would get in touch with the company’s head of fice on that matter. It seems strange that the head of the company should tell the Minister of M : nes that they wen* going to reopen No 2. and that the local manager should say that ho knew nothing about it and in any case would not have enough power available to do «o for some months.