PRICE OF EXPLOSIVES.

Northern Advocate, 31 January 1922, Page 3

PRICE OF EXPLOSIVES.

.MINERS RESENT INCREASED COST. CATTSE OF THE WAIPA STRIKE. The cause Avhich led to the mine".; at Waipa ceasing work was expla'tieu to a "Dominion" reported by Mr P. U'Bourke, secretary of the New Zealand Miners' Federation. "We are at a loss to understand." :riid Mr O'Bourke, "why Mr H. O. Bishop, technical adviser to the New Zealand Coal Mine Owners' Association, went to the trouble in the columns of your paper a few days ago of explaining that the coal mine owners were doing their best to have the price of explosives used by the miner reduced, when the rates have just been unwarrantably raised."

The secretary of the Miners' F;«.cration went on to explain that when the question of the cost of explo'dvewas discussed at the conference at which Mr Massey presided, the Prima Minister stated that he knew sonicthing about explosives, and felt sure that there would be a considerable redaction right away. "In the face of such a statement by the Prime Minister," proceeded Mr O'P.ourke, "it was disheartening to the miners to find that the prices had jumped so high all of a sudden. The price which had been charged for explosives at Waipa ever since the mine had been opened' in 1011 was o?,d. per lb., and now the price had suddeidy se.ared to Is. lOd. per lb., an increase of lUd. per lb All the mines on tl:- West Coast had been using what was know as "permitted explosives." for which the miners had to pay If-. 4d. per lb. The price had now been advanced to Is lOd. per lb., a ris-" 1 of 6d. Furthermore, the price of the (",])s. used for detonating the charges, had been advanced as much as 20 per cent. "This," said the secretary <>f the Miners' Federation, "is the true cause of the trouble at the Waipa mine, where the workmen do not see why the cost of the commodities with which they have to earn their living should be rising while the tendency is to reduce wages."