COALMINES DEADLOCK.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18551, 8 November 1923, Page 10

COALMINES DEADLOCK.

MEN CAN RESUME WORK." CHIEF SPOKESMAN'S WORDS DISCUSSION AT CONFERENCES. [DX TELEGBAI'n. —OWN COWtESPONDENr ] WELLINGTON. Wednesday. Although the miners and their sympathisers have been assured by Labour's official*" organ that there 1$ a lock-out at. the West Coast coalmines this view is not held by thoir chief spokesman at all the conferences, Mr. Balderstone, secretary of the Miners' District Council. According to the miners' delegates' official report he is stated to have said that if the miners wanted to resume work they could do so, as nobody was stopping them. The report of the miners' delegates states that Mr. Balderstone. when asked by. the Minister for Mines, chairman of the conference, to state the miners' case, said they had come there to discuss the 14 points in dispute around a table, but they did not want to take up' any dogmatio attitude. Mr. Whittle (Denniston) stated that the instructions from his union were to come to the conference »nd deal with the 14 points around the table. The Denniston men would not go to the Arbitration Court. They had had enough of it. Mr. Minchin (Roa) said he had definite instructions from his union not to compromise. If any agreement were reached it would have to be around the table. Mr. Lock (Millerton) said that the coalowners had evidently come there with tho intention not to open negotiations as lar as the 14 points were concerned. At the previous Keefton conference Mr. T. 0. Bishop, sorretarv of the Coalmine Owners* Association, took up a similar attitude to the one ho was taking up now, with the result that the conference proved abortive. Mr. Mcßride (Ngakawau) said that he did not think either side should refuse to discuss all the points that affected them. His union hold the opinion that an Arbitration Court Judge was not the proper person to decide the points in dispute. As far as the mining industry was concerned the Court considered things from a legal and not a practical viewpoint. Mr. Balderstone said that he was sure that a settlement could be reached if Mr. Bishop retired from the conference, as h.6 appeared to be the stumbling block. The balance of the official report of the miners' delegates agrees with that auth orised by tho conference to bo published.