ECHO OF THE STRIKE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume 9115, Issue 9115, 11 January 1910, Page 6

ECHO OF THE STRIKE.

THE TROUBLE AT THESTATE MINE. GREYMOUTH, Jan. 10. The Minister of Mines has at length broken his silence in regard to the recent difficulty at the State mine. Speaking at a reception accorded him at Grey mouth, Mr M'Kenzie made an interesting reference to the subject. He said that he had made the trip to the "West Coast for the special purpose of dealing with the trouble at the State mine. An erroneous impression had gained ground that the trouble was really settled on the occasion of the visit of the miners' delegates to Wellington, but this was not the case. No settlement had been arrived at there, and after offers had been made —and refused—to allow a Supreme Court Judge or a Conciliation Commissioner to arbitrate in the matter, he decided to fall in with a suggestion that he should go to Greymouth and endeavour to settle the trouble himself. This he did, after fully arming himself with the facts of the case from the State point of view—a course which it wa6 imperative for him to take as the trustee of the people's interests. Of course, in coming to a decision, which he arrived at before meeting the men at Runanga, he had some guides, notably the Seddonville agreement, to work upon. He laid it down that the State employees should not be asked to work under conditions inferior to those ruling in the local privately-owned mines. Thus he had made three offers to the men, viz.: To accept either of the Denniston or Granity awards, or to go under the Seddonville agreement. As issue of the negotiations things were practically in the same position as before. The State had offered to undertake the whole of the trucking provided there was a reduction in the hewing rate to compensate for this concession. The final agreement was that the miners should truck twenty-two yards, that the State should truck twenty-eight yards, and that the Seddonville hewing rates should apply. The latter was really equivalent to a reduction of twopence per ton in the hewing rate. He was gratified that a settlement had been reached, and trusted that the industry would continue to flourish.