THE GO-SLOW POLICY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIVIII, Issue 17684, 20 January 1921, Page 6

THE GO-SLOW POLICY.

£ REDUCED WAIKATO OUTPUT. WEEKLY LOSS OF 2580 TONS. MINEOWNERS CONFER TO-MORROW. The go-slow policy instituted at the Waikato min<*s on Monday, is being continued, the output from each of the mines in consequence showing a considerable falling off, as compared with the normal output. On Monday the shortage at Pukemiro was 230 tons, and on Tuesday it was- 130 tona. The difference is explained by the fact that some time was taken up by a stopwork meeting on Monday morning. The Taupiri Company's mines show a total falling off in production of 300 tons daily, and based upon. the shortage to date, the community is losing at the rate of 2580 tons of coal a week. The Coalmine Owners' Association is to meet in Wellington to-morrow afternoon, when possibly the most important question to be considered will be a proposal to close down all the mines if the go-slow policy is persisted in. A representative of one of the local mines stated yesterday that the time had arrived when the miners should be shown in no uncertain- manner that they could not play fast and loose with the community, and the only way to do this would be to shut down the mines and not reopen them until a reasonable guarantee was forthcoming from the miners that supplies of coal so urgently required for industries and other purposes would be produced without unnecessary interruptions. Loss of time through breakdowns on machinery, shortage of trucks, and other unavoidable causes incidental to this industry were sufficiently frequent to make it imperative that when normal working conditions obtained the greatest amount of coal possible should be mined. The losses in the past due to strikes and go slow had been such that in his opinion the time had arrived when this method of dislocating trade and industry should be put a stop to for all time. This could only be done by showing a united front to those responsible for the almost insane action of the miners. He did not think a majority of the men were in sympathy with the course of action decided upon, but by a strange coincidence the very men who so loudly acclaimed democratic rule were most autocratically disposed toward those with whom they were associated. " What would be thought of the employers as a body," he continued, "if they were guilty of one-tenth of the tyranny practised by the men who are prominent in advocating go slow and strikes. I know for a fact that miners who do not favour the use of these weapons are afraid to say so or to oppose their use, and that is why there is never any opposition shown to the extremist doctrine preached. The only way to bring the more moderate section of the miners to their senses is to close the mines. This will help them to realise the cost of following agitators blindly without even a word of protest."