COAL MINING DISPUTES

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 6623, 12 September 1908, Page 9

COAL MINING DISPUTES

AWAHDS Ol' TUB AIUUTUATION COURT. L'UJ-Hd association. |»U.VIODIN, September 11. Thf Arbitration Cmirl iiwiiri" m ■ uw Ohi«o coal iniimiß Jistnitco »«io Court belli Hint vim mi«n , tal '.7, to make out a carfo Tor a etutugu 111 , present system, but it appeared Hurt ituriug iiegotiationa betwyeu tho p.utic.. the employers luul offeror! certain mwyasw. uml tho Court granted what tho employers wore willing to concede. blutt ,VUB«3 aro not to bo loss than IDs per nhilt. No change baa been made regarding tiie trucking portion of tho award. Tho nmv nnti-sli ike clause is Inserted. In regaril to the Allanilnlc dispute, tlio Court states Hint practically tho only matter in dispute was tlio provision m connection with deficient ‘ piacos. ihe union complained that tho mine manager hud refused to rocotjnmo places as exIvomoly hard which wore really so within the moaning of clause 17 of tlio existing agreement. The Court was asked l<> define a "deficient place" as uno where the average minor could not earn tlio minimum wage. If any hardship had boon suffered in the past, the Court considered it was duo to the miners not availing themselves of the provisions made In the ousting agreement for the settlement of such complaints. Whatever clause might be inherit'd on tho subject would be useless if the parties would not take the trouble co see that it was put into operation. The Court has therefore inserted in this award tlio same "deficient .places" clause as appeared in other awards.

In tho award mado iu connection with the Tnrnta dispute tho Court makes tho following clauses on matters that had not been settled at tho preliminary conference:—Shift wages are fixed at 10s, with one shilling extra when working flips; hewing rated arc those offered by tlio company, viz., 2s fid. an increase of 3d per ton. The miners, it is stated, (ailed to satisfy the Court that tho vales offered by tho company would not imibio them to earn a living wage.