TROUBLE AT COAL MINES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17139, 19 April 1919, Page 9

TROUBLE AT COAL MINES.

WORKERS DISCLAIM ' LIABILITY. [BY TELEGKAPH.— ASSOCIATION;]" WELLINGTON. Thursday." The following reply to the resolution of the Now Zealand Coal Mine Owners' Association relative to stoppages of' 'sari:' at different mines has been made by Mr. J. Glover, secretary of the Coal Worker^ 1 Association. "I would like to pbjtft 6ut that the fault is not wholly on. the part of my organisation, as in several, install?®' stoppages have been caused through ce?* i tain coal owners affected refusing to abido by the September agreement, and ii other cases by the pin-pricking, irritating method they have adopted in dealing with their employees, in one or two instances even refusing to meet them to discuss . local grievances. I shall be pleased to fep)y more fully when tho matter has been coik sidered by my executive." j- ' The members of the Coal Mine Owners Association considered the attitude j-of the men at several of the coal mines of ; jfii|» Dominion where trouble, accompanied 1 By stoppages of work, had been experienced-. The direct result had been to ' farther' diminish the output of coal. . It. was pointed out that the agreement entered into in September last with the executive of the Miners' Federation provided,,- first, that there should be no further, stopp-.. ages of work; eecond, that with the ex- » ception ■of tho payment of an increased bonus, the existing conditions should con- - tinue in force until six months after tie declaration of peace; and, third, that _a,ny disputes occurring ir auy_ of the _ minds should be referred to a District: Dispute? Committee, and, failing settlement by that committee, to a National , Disputes Committee. It was felt that the executive of the federation was either nriable or- tinwilling to secure due observance .of the agreement by the individual unions. -• -A resolution was passed stating that as'the continual breaches of the agreement are evidence of the federation's inability or unwillingness to enforce the agreement, the association now finally demands that the Federation Executive should carry out its undertakings."