MINERS' "PEACE PAY."

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17229, 4 August 1919, Page 4

MINERS' "PEACE PAY."

■ -'■ "'i .£■■■ ■ ■ , TT7T-" « NON-PAYMENT RESENTS I — '. WORK CEASES AT DENNISTO2?.' ' I ■'•;.-' ,' RESULT OP A MISUNDERSTANDING* ' . [BY TffILEGSAPH. —OWN COE3ES?OKI)HST.I '* "/] WELLINGTON. Saturday. - .' The payment to miners of one day's 1 wages in connection with the peace cele- '%] brations was a sideline discussed at the Miners' Conference to-day. -*?'-itd Mr. J. Arbuckle, one of the men's repre- ' sentatives, said the mining companies were > very niggardly. They agreed to pay fa O'J %ne day, while most other employers paid - for two days, and at the State mines frso full days were paid for. However, one '■'■•■'&] day's pay -was decided upon, and even that offer had not been honoured. That ''*■• morning he had received three teleerams* ."''-] and one showed that work had ceased in' 1 at least one mine, and ns would nob say > what might happen in the other mines. 1 The telegram from Denniston readMine stopped as protest against acti<r- > of company in not paying peace celebration pay. Large numbers of men have not been paid throngh not working on Tuesday - awaiting reply." *'i ,'; From Blackball came the following "Find out why the Blackball Company has not made payment for Peace Day. lb is understood the companies had notified the federation officially to the effect that all hands would have to be paid for thai day." - The telegram from Kiripaka read: "& a fet no satisfaction as to payment fop eace Day. Please find out if the company" intends to pay." * •

No Steed for Feeling. Mr. Flavell (Westport Coal) said tienj . was no need for the feeling displayed by ■ Mr. Arbuckle. Authority for tie payment ' of one day's pay had been given* and if '■'<■ some men did not receive the n.oney ifc • most .have been due to some misunderstanding. A telegram had been forwarded >.■'' giving instructions that all men should ba paid. "Regarding payment for two days it was necessary to point out that Saturday '■' - ■ being pay-day was a holiday, but the '$?>■ owners agreed to pay for the holiday ' taken on the Monday. The payment wag as a gift and' not as a right. Mr. Watson (Blackball) said an iastrnotion had been issued to pay all the men. ; '.i;M The misunderstanding was unfortunate.' •- The amount due would' be included in the next pay. :, Mr. W. D. Holgate said that the Kiri- " VI; paka mine had agreed to fall ia with tha •-- other mines. . The amount in his cast would be included m the next pay. Hot Satisfactory to Mea. ''%0 Mr. Arbuckle stated that Saturday war - not pay-day in all the mines. Therefore £ i ; some of the miners lost two days. When * a holiday fell on a pay Saturday it was : usual to grant another day as a, holidav. :■- The miners worked on Tuesday chiefly tn'Si*/ the interests of the public and because of -.i" the shortage of coal. The arrangement . for one day's pay only was not satisfac- ■■■ , tory to the organisation be represented. L- , The Hon. E. W. Alison said that many companies were not in such a good finan-*J cia! position that they could afford to pay " for two days. He commented upon the L . stoppage of work at- ,Denniston, despite '* \ the fact that there was a disputes com- |p-J mittee to which the matter should .have I: been referred. How could the coalowmKts ■■'"_'. I deal with the federation when there were .f,' frequent stoppages, strikes, and stop-work • - . meetings in the mines? _ Mr. Arbuckle said that no federation" — j could bind all its members, no mattes ! what agreement was arrived at-, Charge- Against fee - Owners, ' •:|^ . "Mr* : O'Brien-.said • it.would:, be- impos- ,'J|§ sible to. draw up conditions to, meet every % position that might arise. They found as now that one mine had stopped. Who ; V stopped that mine? The owners, he would M say. There was an apology, of course, gg ; and ii- was stated that the trouble was | due to a misunderstanding. It was such. '.'■"-'. misunderstandings that led to serious ' ; trouble very often. The only way tba ;%-; miners could rectify such misunderstand-' _- ings was to strike. • , - -;?©3 Mr. Flavell said that at the Westporii Company's mines 120 men did not turn V up to work on the Tuesday following th* ,'.", peace celebrations. A number of men did ':'' i not resume until the Wednesday, and a \ few not until the Friday. The local man- ■■',&■ ager thought those men were' not en-;©■ titled to receive their money, and it was ?£ not paid, despite the fact that instruc /^ i tions had been ■ issued for -.the pay- t>; '■■ nient of all the men. It was a trivial }--pA matter on which to strike. ' _'~ Mr. Arbuckle said that so long as th'a p| present pin-pricking went on it was ins-' j possible for the federation to prevent '■'.'/-. strikes arid stoppages of work. \:5-; .«• No Peraai Complain* Made. . ■*

Mr. Roberts stated that he believed that ? the coal, mine owners wets just as much responsible for tha trouble as the miners. egg It would have been the duty of the coin- r# pany, when it decided hot to pay peace| ■■:"$; money, to call She Disputes Committee J J together. The owners -created tha K dispute. Mr. Flavel said that at Denniston there ; ; had been no. opportunity for. a meeting, for the union * did not no&ify the local manager that his action was causing disatisfaction. The men simply failed to .., turn up to work yesterday morring. Mr. Robeifts contended that there was no doubt the local manager was to blame. The manager was the aggressor, and thq men decided to hit back.

At this stage the discussion closed, it being understood that the secretaries of the union should be notified that instructions had been issued for the payment of ■ all the men.