GOLD MINERS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 1 May 1922, Page 5

GOLD MINERS.

WAGES READJUSTMENT

BX CABLE—PBESS ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT

LONDON, April 28. Sir James Mitchell (Premier of Western Australia), replying to a deputation of Western Australian mining companies' repesentatives, who sought a, conference with, the miners with a, view to a readjustment of wages and &n amendment of the Arbitration Act the Court's decision to be reviewed within a year, said that when the mines were paying increasing dividends the miners loyally accepted the arbitration awards as binding for a full year, and, analogously, the mining companies should accept similarly now when dividends were not increasing and wages were falling. He did not believe the miners would present unfair demands if^they were calculated to cripple the industry upon which their existence depended. Railway freights were as low as possible, notwithstanding the continuously shrinking railway revenue. v The Government was anxious to develop mining interests, but was not prepared to grant concessions at the cost of the rest of the community.. Sir Newton Moore, introducing the deputation, had pointed out that \v estern Australian mines, which formerly produced £8,000,000 per annum, had now dwindled to £2 ,"000,000, while the cost of production had increased to an alarming extent. The cost of material had increased 50 per cent and labour over 100 per cent, compared with 1914. With the exception of three large

mines, which had a very good reason for continuing, the whole of the gold mines of the State had closed down, and unless some change was made in the near future the disastrous state of affairs must continue.