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Grey River Argus, 11 June 1932, Page 5

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Northern Dismissals MR BISHOP'S STATEMENT. WELLINGTON, June 10. In a statement, when interviewed to-day, the Secretary of the New Zealand Coal Mine Owners’ Association (Air T. O. Bishop) said: — The statement published by the National Executive of the Labour Party was founded apparently upon complete ignorance of the facts. The mine owners had never refused a conference upon their new proposal. On the contrary, they had not only agreed to a conference in each district immediately the request for a conference was made by the unions, but in the Northern District the conference was already commended, on two occasions. On the first occasion it was broken off by the action of one section of the unions, the members going on strike because of the notice of dismissal served by the Hikurangi Company on certain men, whose services were no longer required, because of the company’s loss of a substantial order for railway coal. Union executive members frankly admitted that they did not approve of th? strike, and the President and other members of the Council used their influence successfully to bring it to an end. Work was actually resumed and the coal owners thereupon promptly arranged for a continuance of the conference, upon the former working terms and conditions. Before the conference could assemble, however, Hikurangi was visited by a delegate from another district, and while he was there a second strike occurred. This alone prevented the continuance of the conference in the Northern District.

On the West Coast a. conference was agreed to, the only thing left to be determined in respect to it being the date, and it was arranged that this should be as early as conveniently possible. The miners elected not to wait for the conference, but ceased work.

Tn Southland, there was no exchange of communications of any kind between the owners and the union, but the strike was begun for no apparent reason. In the case of Shag Point, where a strike was announced for to-day, the men are working under terms of an Arbitration Court award, which has not., been interfered with.

OWNERS’ TERMS For Northern Men HUNTLY, June 9. Under the terms that the coal owners have endeavoured to introduce in the Waikato mines, the minimum wage would be abolished. The rate paid for handling machine cut coal was formerly 2/9J a ton. The proposed new rate is 2/44 a ton. Over time, which used to be paid for athe rate of time and a half for the first three hours after eight hours, and double time thereafter, will now. according to the owners’ proposals, be paid for at the rate of time and a quarter for the first three hours and time and a half thereafter. Under the old agreement, before a man could qualify for “wet pay” he was required to work for at least six hours in a saturated condition, meaning that his clothes had to be soaked through as a result of working in the water during the first three hours of work, and that he worked in that condition three hours afterwards. The proposed new agreement provides that the men must work eight hours in a saturated condition before then can earn wet pay. It is pointed out by the men that a saturated condition does not mean merely getting wet through up to the knees, but all over. The proposals suggest a penalty of 3d a ton for every 71b of stone or other impurities in the coal hewn by each man. This, it is claimed, will make serious inroads into the earnings of the miners, particularly .those working in seams of bad coal, who will als ?, be affected by the abolition of the minimum wage clause-

Another plause affects what is known as the dip heading rate. It has been the custom to allow extra pay for coal cut on a down or up grade of approximately one in eleven. The owners now demand that the grade| shall be one in eight before extra paywill be granted. Cartage of coal from the face to the tip has previously been done solely by truckers. The owners now demand that the miners shall take full trucks 22 yards out from the face without pay and that they shall be paid at the rate of 2d for every chain the trucks are taken beyond 22 yards. The men ; object that this proposal will reduce I the number of truckers employed and simultaneously waste the earning time of the miners. In timbering the mine, the men for ! merly were allowed payment for set- .

ting up props 9ft. in length. Now they must, do this for nothing. If the props are 12 feet long they will be paid 3d instead of 1/- as formerly. Payment for putting in crossbeams, or sets, is reduced from 4/2 to 3/-. Payment for renewing old timber has been reduced from 9d to 5d each for props up to 12ft in length, from 1/5 to 1/for lengths over 12ft, and from 2/1 to 1/8 for jig props. In the old agreement preference in engaging men was given to ex-employ-ees provided they were of good con duct. This is now to be denied. The owners demand that no stop-work meeting shall be held in a mine without the permission of the management. Under the old agreement one stop work meeting a month was allowed, when the men were allowed to stop work two hours earlier than usual. The owners further demand the right to select men for double shifts, a right the men previously had themselves. Exception is taken to the inclusion of a clause increasing the price of household coal to the miners to 28/- a ton. Previously the men have been allowed household coal for 4/6 a ton, this being the rate they received for hewing and carting it. “The new terms will mean a heavy loss in the earning power of the minors,” a union official said. “Men on day without allowing for tin fact that they work on an average only three days a week throughout the year and have to pay for their tools, explosives, and carbide used in their lamps and their travelling expenses, might just as well be on relief work. ’

WHY DEAR COAL? WESTPORT, June 10. If is considered here that a conference on the coal situation should be initiated at once. It is considered remarkable that the coal is mined for a few shillings and yet costs £2 per ton or more to the consumer. Freights on coal on the railways have increased 50 per cent, since the war. * BULLER POSITION. WESTPORT, June 10. The mines in the district and the number of men involved arc:— Denniston, about 500 men, capable of producing 5000 tons of coal weekly. Millerton, 200 men, with 2000 tons weekly. Stockton, 300 men. with 400 tons weekly. Roskvist’s mine (Granity), 50 men, 1000 tons weekly. Co-operative and contract mines are: Cascade, 23 men, 600 tons weekly; Charming Creek. 27 men, 600 tons weekly; Cardiff. 30 mon, 600 tons weekly; other Seddonville co-operative mines, 20 men, 600 tong weekly.