Truth MINERS AND MINE-OWNERS

NZ Truth, Issue 685, 27 July 1918, Page 4

Truth

MINERS AND MINE-OWNERS

THE PEOPLE'S PAPER.

NEW ZEALAND HEAD OFFICE— Wellington: Manners-street PROVINCIAL REPRESENTATIVES— Auckland: 3 Custom-street East Christchurch: 102 Glotice.ster-street Dunedin: Communications Box 591, P.O.

SATURDAY, JULY 27, 1918.

What Coal Cormorants Cost the Community The manifesto issued by the Miners' Federation m rebuttal of the claima and assertions of the mineowners, although frankly an ex parte statement, is a trenchant rejoinder, and a most telling exposure of the vicious profiteering m which tho monopolistlo exploiters of New Zealand's coal supply have been allowed to Indulge since the outbreak of the world v/ar. In replying to the mine-owners' protestation that miners were earning from 17s to 25s a day, the Federation spokesmen conclusively prove that such a wage cannot be taken as an average one. Indeed, when broken time is deducted, the average earnings of the miner are outrageously inadequate compared with the present high cost of living, and altogether apart from the hard work and hazard attendant upon his calling. No doubt, apologists for the coal cormorants will point out, and make much of the fact, that the Federation's 1-eply to the employers fails to note that the cost of | hewing coal is not the only, nor yet, ; the heaviest, expense to which mineowners are put. In addition to the tonnage rates -pa-id to the actual coalgetters, there is the cost of the "oncost" or clay's wage men to add to the average cost of the output. There is, also, the cost of railage and sailage to the various markets supplied. All of these items ought certainly to have been included, and it is to be regretted that they were not. .Still "Truth" believes their omission was unintentional, and. despite" the mine-owners' allegation to tlie contrary, m no way specially favors the miners' case. The bald statement made by Mr. Robert Semple, m liis speech m the King's Theatre, Wellington, last Sunday night, that tho miner was paid ISs JOd for a quantity of coal, which, when sold m small lots to the workers, cost £24, may 'not be all the truth, nor absolutely fair, m that it gives the lowest and first cost only, to the mineowners and the highest price paid by the consumers. Mr. Semple's idea was not to mislead, but to emphasise the enormous difference between the sum paid m wages to the man who risks life and limb m actual coal-getting, and the cost of that precious commodity to the poor consumer who must needs purchase his coal supply m small lots. « # * This is the one weak point m an otherwise able and comprehensive document. It is a weak point, not because' it is an unfair statement of the case, but because it provides the employers with the opportunity to avow that it is unfair, and it leaves the city coal consumer still at a loss to know exactly at what point he is robbed and of I just how much he is called upon to i disburse over and above what he would consider a fair profit. It is impossible for "Truth" to supply the omission accurately. Nevertheless, we I believe it is possible to approximate j thereto sufficiently near for- all prac- ; tical purposes. Seventeen years ago j Hikurangi Collieries Company landed its coal at Auckland wharves for 10s 6d per ton, out of which sum the company had to pay m freight by rail 2s Gd, and by sail 3s 6d per ton. Yfhen these prices ruled the miners were earning 12s per day, and the day's wage men 10s a day. The price of coal on the Auckland wharves to-day is more than three times that of seventeen years ago, but the cost of railage and sailage Is not three times the former figures, nor is the miner receiving | 36s a day, or three times what he re- I ceived when the commodity he pro- 1 duced was fetching 10s Gd per ton at ! Auckland wharves. When the Hikurangi Collieries Company landed coal i at the above price at Auckland j wharves, the cost of landing Westport coal at Wellington wharves was made up as follows: Cost of coal at foot of incline, 7s lOd per ton; royalty, Gd: railage to Westport, 2s 6d; sailage to Wellington, 5s 6d; cost at Y/ellington wharves, 16s 4d. At this fime the average wage of the Dennistoh Hill miner was alleged by the employee to be 12s per day. The Co3t of a ton of Westport coal at Wellington wharves is over three times what it was at the time referred to. But the cost of freightage by rail and sail is not three times the former charges, nor is the Denniston Hill miner, even m the employers' statement, alleged to be earning 36s a day, or three times whjit he was earning when Westport coal was brought to Wellington wharves at a cost of 16s 4d per ton. But even had railage and sailage and miners' wages and other charges all increased threefold during the intervening years, the employers would have been still on a very good wicket, as profits would have, increased pro rata, which, even the most exacting dividend hunter must admit would have been a handsome increase. How. much greater then is the increase nOw being pocketed bj r the profit-pinching employers who, compared with the prices at the date quoted, are getting from three to four, times more for their coal and are not being called upon to pay anything like three or four times the then cost of winning and wharving the coal? * * . # But the price of coal m New Zealand has become such a scandal that the question is no longer one of wages between the' masters and men. It is one m which every householder m our towns and cities , is deeply interested. Apart altogether from the tolling comparisons above made, a reference to tho increases since the war began m the prices of the. products. of privately- ■ owned. .mines and those of coal from the State mines is enough to convince anyone open to reason that the present price of coal is a famine or monopoly one, and has risen and remains as high as it is because of the inadequacy ot the State coal supply to meet the demand. ."Truth" wishes to see this question of the cost and adequacy of our coal supply raised above the higgling of mine- owners and miners. The coal supply is as much a necessary public service as that of water, or of gas, or of electricity, and for that reason ought to be municipalised or, better still, nationalised. This has been true .it all times, but is more forcibly i-bro.ught home- to consumers at the present cris'isv' There are, wo bolieve, ■ men m the National Cabinet, and these not .,c.pnfineH fi to the' representatives of^ „o'ne") (p arty W'-the' 7 State' -who 'Co¥ifess> , that Wd the GoverWrheWt 'tlohe 1 %liht f •lCpugra the' outbreak . pjfUli^SvE r;' r it w'OThid •lra'VeJ r nati6ha'Ksett 1 every thliip- a'lVd cut ' outf'^ofriplettely^he profit-rnopger ' "and dividend-hunter; The Government, unfortunately,'' did not think itself strong enough to see auch a gigantic transformation through and the price the people have had to pay because of the timidity of Ministers far exceeds what the Dominion has had to subscribe to war loans and shell out m war taxes. In the present quarrel between the mine-owners and the miners the Government has presented to it an opportunity of doing m part what it should 'iave done Wholesale at the outbreak of war — it can nationalise the mines, j.n doing so it need be unfair to none. It can allow the present owners a small pcrcentagre over the average profits earned- before the war. Owning the railways and with nationalised colliers for sea freight, all the cost of carriage would be additional income to the

State. The difference at which the State could supply the coal compared with present prices might be equitably divided between the workers m the industry, the State, and the consumers. The first essential, of course, would be to see 'that the men ijwho do the most severe and dangerous toil m connection with this public service shall receive the higher remuneration. "Truth" suggests that the time is ripe for the citizens of all our towns and cities to take up this question m earnest and impress upon the members of the Government the need for immediate action. There is danger m delay. This journal does not say that the miners .'intend; itoi strike; neither does it counseli.the.rrnenijton'.tdow.nlitools^; lit raere]>f. points ■out-i'that'there^comes' a : time'■wiien the strain, nujst : ._b.e,-.eased,,pffi.or-"something is. .bound, to .snap. , If, it can read the signs of We" times. 'aright' tliaT point/ is being JspeeOils^re^ch'^'d. employers can see ;thfs i '.danger , {is plain- . ly as ,we lean, ,but, "unfortunateiyr as, things are' to-day,' the danger is . not a danger to them. It i 3 merely another means of enabling- them to extort higher toll from the consumer of the commodity of which they are allowed to hold practically a monopoly. If anything can be done .to avert disaster it is the Government that must do it; and the people of every town and city must do what m them lies to move the Government, to action. "Truth" has reason to believe that this same will not be quite as difficult as some croakers think: but let action be taken quickly, and with one accord and there can be but little doubt of the outcome. The ball is at the people's feet: all thov have ?ot to do is to kick it with sufficient force to secure victory for l lie miners, for themselves, and for the State.