COAL SHORTAGE

Northern Advocate, 4 May 1933, Page 4

COAL SHORTAGE

DECISION OH MINERS,

REFERRED TO NATIONAL

COUNCIL

COMPANIES AT VARIANCE

(Special to ‘'Northern Advocate.”) HUNTLY, This Day.

The decision of employees of the four Waikato mines not to resume work has been referred to the Miners’ Motional Council, which has Its headquarters at Brunnerton, Westland, said the secretary of the Northern Miners’ Union, Mr W. Davison, last evening. The council had also been invited to consider the failure of the Northern minors’ meeting last Mondav to settle the dispute over coal prices. It is believed that the three companies w'hieh are keeping to the old scale of prices, namely, Renown, Pukemiro and Wilton, would welcome further mediation by cither the Minister of Mines, the Hon 0. E. MacMillan, or the Minister of Labour, the Hon. A. Hamilton, in the hope of having all the companies’ prices stabilised at a uniform economic' level. On the other hand, the intervention of the Minister of Mines nearly a fortnight ago through his under-secre-tary, Mr A. H. Kimball, was resented by the president of the New Zealand Coal Miners’ Association, Colonel W. D. Holgate. Mr Kimball ■ tailed even to bring the two parties together at a conference no the Ministers proposed, although they subsequently .met under the association’s auspices .without any further result.

A NEW PHASE.

FFTiTTIEIi MEETINGS

AUCKLAND, This Day,

The only development in connection with the coal deadlock is a report that a meeting will be held this afternoon at Huntly between representatives of the directorate of the Taupiri Company and the members of the Northern Miners’ District Council.

Colonel W. G. ITolgato, the Hon. E. W. Alison and Messrs Parker and Sontcr, of.the Taupiri Company, Went to Huntly this morning.