"DISASTROUS" RESULTS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17229, 4 August 1919, Page 6

"DISASTROUS" RESULTS

VIEW OF MINISTER FOR MINES \ INDUSTRIES MUST SUFFER. ' -'■■>'■■ ■ ■ REASON FOR LACK OF MINERS > Addressing . the ,mihihg v «aiference.; in Wellington on Friday, the Minister for Miii^j? «Ie florc W; Di $. Mad Donald, saijot, Sfctrae; the duty of all jaiftles tic./use the* utmost discretion in discus3ifrj|«a tiues tlon of such unportance as that.before' the conference. Be"- hadv been so? concerned &boat the coal positiors, for? the; paW ifej&s years that he had tried his best to- arrange ttriattersiso that there would: be no striked 'tm&[ rfo 'it-apriiitiite meetings; 1 and/if ; gc%*-- ' feible, no discontent. • : To diacbvigr the tors in the cost of cool to tha .cansttmeir fie had' instituted the inquiry by the Board *bf -Trade, and the irivesijgaMoa made 1 had been thorough;" The i6|irris ha the 'report thad-been called in question. One of-" the* mentbeta of - the hoard If dr the: pat pos&s' of the., inquiry was Trofesaor Hieht] and he had made some 3000 Mentations: in the cohraef of the' investigation: A* So the S conditions in the mining townships ha was | prepared to say-that they "were not good, ; and. he had made , certain suggestions to ; which : they could assiii-fcttlie ; Government through housing committees fto improve matters. " jv; could; be no doubt that the posij tiort in New Zealand was very grave; So i woe not going to say. much about what he [believed to be a certain amount of the 1 cause. - Questions had- been; asked why | there.were hot more miners in fthe mines 1 . I «a thought there, were gentlemen sitting ! ir L the conference who knew ithe reason waV there were' not more miners, why in "■thelast three or four months: more miners had net been obtained from Australia. i The trouble was not all on one aide. ! ■ ' Ho was trot in the confidence of the coal-1 mine owners* and he did not know where (they had, obtained thai? figures, but he had figures compiled in his. department' from iwhich he was prepared "to say thatt the effect of granting the demands of the coal miners would fee disastrous to this country,!notwithstanding that, there were thousands of householders in; the country in dire need of fuel, Industries must suffer' if the concessions were given. All the present trouble Was not due to the coal miners of New Zealand;. There had Been a strike in Australia, and the result had been > that it had not been possible ito keep the intercolonial traders going,- and supplies of coal from Australia had been interrupted,; This was- one' of the effects of the. .great ".federation of Labour to-day. Without discussing whether it was right or notj he could say'that it Was paralysing ithis ) country to-day. Were to be held up because some dispute occurred in Ail*, tfftluv ...... " :, Right $* top of this trouble came this dematffl for the abolition of the contract isystenfi The corollary to this must be reduced, output,; anfl, this at a time when the aim /everybody should be to increase output. ,!. He hoped that whatever eventuated nobody -would turn down proposals from pique. He- urged all the delegates not to leave a stone unturned to Gome to a right conclusion. He* did ntffc "desire to pre-indite-the posifeioh of : anybody;, but, he hoped that jthe conference would be terminated in an/amicable "Way. . Mr.. Arbucse\said that notice had been feni to Australia from the federation because there were men at Rnhanga waiting jor-workon thecbal, but they could not get employmersi except :as trackers. While this' condition of .things obtained he thought jt Was 5 proper to stop: men from coming W $jf# from Australia to take tbe> woik that should have come t6o' our' OVrn men. ...., -"*■ ■ '-■ >.;> ;, : ,-» : •-',»-;. ; -' -.T' ', ■„.- '•■''■■ V ~ '