STATE COAL MINE.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLVI, Issue XLVI, 24 April 1914, Page 7

STATE COAL MINE.

ARBITRATION COURT HEARING

BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION. GREYMOUTH, April 24. The hearing of evidence in the State Tnine dispute concluded in the Arbitration Court. On behalf of the Union :it was stated that the only exception "taken to the old agreement was the application of a slight rise in pillar workings and 11s instead of 10s per day for pumping. The Union's proposals, in every other respect, were to -allow the old conditions to remain. Mr Kimbell, for the Department, said it had ,no desire to make radical reductions in the men's earnings; all that was desired was that the men should be placed in a position to make reasonable wages. The State averages had been from 2s to 3s more than •in other mines, thus putting the State mine in the position of being unable to compete fairly with other companies. The loss for the year ended 1913 had been over £7000, and for the subsequent half-year £4000, the latter showing a correspondingly great loss. In /regard, to the alleged statement by the Union that the mine was most treacherous to work, he referred to the report put in where the mine fatalities in one . year were four only underground, and : five on the surface. '. . ■ His Honor said that the Court would make an award as soon as possible.