STOCKTON NOTES

Grey River Argus, 18 December 1943, Page 8

STOCKTON NOTES

[Our Own Correspondent], Mr. A. Hunter left earlier in the week to receive medical attention at Christchurch. ■ Mr. and Mrs. J. Carrick, Mrs. J. Brownlie and Mrs. C. Plummer ana family, left for Nelson on Wednesday. Misses H. Steele, G. Berdinner and A. Evans arrived last week to spend term holidays with their parents. Gunner M. Taylor has returned to camp after spending a short leave with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. J. I Taylor. Mr. and Mrs. J. Wilson and Mrs. i Linton recently left by ’plane for Wellington. Mrs. H. McEwen had the misfortune to slip and break a small bone in one of her ankles during the week and, is a patient in the Westport Hospital. The final meeting of the Ngakawau Miners’ Union for 1943 was held in the Stockton Hall. Mr. F. Connew presided. •• A letter from Mr. Smallholme re; a proposed change in the price for carting household coal was discussed. An endeavour will be made to get the Company to erect the promised tip. If the tip is erected, there will be no necessity of increasing the price of the haulage. The officials were instructed to interview the manager immediatelv ana have the matter finalised. Mr. A. McArthur, National Delegate to the United Mine Workers, gave a very comprehensive report of the recent conference in Wellington. He dealt with the constitution of the Unitea Mine Workers, clause by clause, explaining it to the members. In tne near future, sufficient copies will be printed to enable the members to understand what the National Constitution contains. Attention was also drawn to rather heavy legal expenses for dealing with compensation claims. The speaker pointed out that there was still plenty of room for improvement in the Compensation Act, especially insofar as getting satisfactory medical evidence for the injured workers is concerned. The conference had agreed upon the following: Preferential voting for all elections; increase in allowance to pensioner miner and wife bringing the amount to 30s per week; establishment of representation to the Soviet Union by a trade unionist; legislation to prevent scurrilous attacks against individuals ,oi’ organisations for political propaganda. The question of men from overseas on furlough being allowed to continue in the mines, was a matter that the War Cabinet would have to deal with. Thi s question would again be placed before the War Cabinet. Mr. McArthur pointed out that, in future, the whole of the members of ithe National Council would attend the Federation of Labour Conference. This would enable a report of the proceedings to be given bv the district delegates. The National Council unanimously condemned the action of Mr. H. Morrison, British Home Secretary, for releasing Sir. Oswald Mosley, head of the British Union of Fascists. This protest would be forwarded to the British Government. The National Council unanimously supported relief measures for the starving people of India. The President and Secretary of the United Mine Workers would pay . a visit to the Buller Unions early in 1944. At the conclusion of Mr. McArthur’s address, a report was unanimously adopted. Mr. A. W. Spencer, of Westport, was appointed auditor of the annual balance-sheet. The question of the cost of tools to the miners since 1939 has been a burning one m this district. It is now proposed by the Mines Department immediately to deal with this, matter. Such a disparity in prices, say, of shovels, makes one wonder what stabilisation of prices really means.