The N. Z. Times. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8,1909. ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 6995, 8 December 1909, Page 6

The N. Z. Times.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8,1909. ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL

Wl?tt WHICH IS IKCORPOBATED THE "WKLMNGXOM INDEPENDENT." ESTABLISHED 1845,

If it is true, as stated in the mani> festo of the Minors' Federation, that .the men now on strike at Point Eliza* beth hare been merely asking "to ba placed in a position of equality with i ■the men in the other ooal mines oi the Dominion," it is a very great pit* the community was not informed this fact long ago.' So far as tho pesij tion bad been revealed-to the country by the news agencies and the Mind ister for Mines tboy were making proJ posals for a change to which were not in oxistence—were ask« ing in fact for. the establishment of a now standard of labour, conditions iri the' mines. Wo cannot pretend to fol-i low tile significance of all that haa been said in this, controversy, for a terminology. which employs such terms as "jigs" and "bords" and is manifestly difficult of full ewmpro* hension by people who lack export! knowledge. But putting these oxpres! isions aside tho whole dispute seems undoubtedly to havo hinged on truck, ing tho coal from tho hewing point to other points. The question was, should the miners bo relieved of this? Tho evidence before the country wad that miners in all other mines did this work. The facts, now appear to bo tho opposite, and that, instead of demanding a special concession, th<? miners havo boon standing out against being made to perform a duty whicli is not common to tho industry. BJ this is the caso what was previously wrapped in mystery, beoomes clear. Instead of tho men striking for a whim they ceased work as a protest against a doiinito £ricvanoc. That t\'a result of yesterday's conference between thij miners' executive and tho Minister succeeded in mailing this plain is a matter for satisfaction'. Apparently the Minister had not beon aocuiraitoly advised in regard to tho position. Thin is to be regretted, but at tho momenti tho dominant feature of the bu>sincsa is that the strikers will' rosumo work and that tilio conditions of labour will bo "made not loss favourable'' than in other mines. No one, wo suppose, would wish that tho conditions al| Point Elizabeth should bo "less favourable" than elsewhere. What tho Minister had opposed was tho institution of conditions which 'ho believed to bo more favourable. This belief rested apparently upon a wrong} conception of the prevailing practice and tho precise circumstances a.t the mine. By personally visiting tho mines ho will be able to learn at firslj hand the value to bo attached to thd ' information placed before him by tho Department and tho men. The widespread idea that tho miners wore holding a pistol at tho Minister's head and. demanding unjustifiable concessions has to be abandoned. Tho community will bo glad to know that the men are going back to work and still morcj pleased to find that after all thoir at> titude can be reconciled with reason.