THE COAL TROUBLE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18053, 29 September 1920, Page 5

THE COAL TROUBLE

STATEMENT BY THE PRIME

MINISTER.

CABINETS UJ/JTMATLM.

MINERS GIVEN THREE DAYS TO RE-

SUME.

OTHERWISE STATE MINES WILL BE

CLOSED.

(luwm Oim Own Cobkesi-ondeht.) ; WELLINGTON, September 23. A very important .-jtuU'ineiit rigaidiug the ooal situation was mudo in tho iiouso of Representatives today by tho Prime iVlinis- . ter. Tho memlHjr lor Wellington South (Air U. ALtoiiL-U) had asked if it was true that tnc State miimrs Jiad stopped work again, and in. reply Mr Massey* indicated that the 0070011110110 intended to close down . the hitato mine if tliu nun did n.ot resume work again in normal fashion. Members <-f thu Ministry considered that the continual stoppages should not be tolerated any longer. "I intended to make a statement . to the House today regarding tho coal Situation," said Mr Massey. '"J"his morning Ihc following telegram' came to mo from the secretary of the Miner's Union at Rununga:—'As a result of the Railway Department's attitude in ordering workmen out of a first-class ear, and there was not sufficient accommodation in tho rest of the train, the men were prevented front going to work by the first train io Rewanui.' A mass meeting this morning strongly protests against the pin-pricking action of tho Railway Department, and wo refuse to travel under such circumstances." Mr Massey added that jnirainodmtely after raccivirjg this -telegram, ho asked the Railway Department and tho Mines Department lor rePorts upon tho incident. Ho had received both the reports. Tho Railway Department's report was as follows: "Department reported that the guard s had insisted that tho men in tho first-class carriage should go to tho second clas, or pay the difference in fares. There had been ample secondclass accommodation on tho train." Tho manager" of the State coal mine had telegraphed to tho Under-Secretary of Alines as follows: —" r ine* Mine is idle to-day. Railway guard ordered men with second-class tickets out of a iirst-class car. They contend no other accommodation. Guard says there was ample accommodation. All workmen have paid a portion of the levy." The levy mentioned, said Mr Massey, appeared to ho tho levy in jfid of tho Broken Hill strikers. Tho Government hud nothing to do with them, but the other incident wxs a much more serious matter. "This morning after receiving this telegram I called the attention of Cabinet to what is going on," continued tho Prime Minister. 'An oflie.al statement 1 have received from the Mines Department shows that last mouth the State mine was idlo for eight days from tho 9th to the 17th, and then again, on tho 30th, making nine days idle for tho month. This month tho mine has been' idlo for different reasons on tho 13th, the 15th, tho 21st, the 23rd, and the 23th. I think it will be admitted that this sort of thing cannot be allowed to go on much longer. I called tile attention of Cabinet to it this morning, and we agreed that the Government would advise the members of the union that differences which arise between the miners and tho State mine and. the Railway Department do not justify stoppages of work at the mine, and further that if the miners do not resume work within three days, and if work when resumed is not carried on with reasonable expedition, all operations will cease until further notice, and tho mine will in the moantime remain closed. Mr Holla-nd (Buller): You cut the coal off from the people of New Zealand to spite the miners. • Mr Massey: The coal has already been cut off from tho people of Now Zealand, and very serious hardship and' inconvenience has s rcsulted. It is not merelv the Government that has suffered. What the Government has suffered has been nothing compared to what the people of the country have suffered in connection with these stoppages. I believo that this interference with the output of coal is one of tho most serious factors in the increase of the cost of living from which all the people have suffered. I think lion, members will admit that tho Government has been very patient in connection with this trouble, but wo must draw the line somewhere. We want tho minors in the States mines and perhaps other miners as well, to whom this may apply, to -understand that if wo do not get the supply from the coal mines of the dominion to which wo are reasonably entitled, then other arrangements will have to be made. "A Member: Bring the war regulations into effect. ° f . Mr Holland (Buller) asked what action the . Government intended to take against the owners of the Pukemiro mine, "who wero ; . "refusing to allow the mine to open be- . cause they want" to .dictate to tho men . working in tho ro-ino which union they shall , belong to?", This applied particularly to some engineers.. Would the Prime Minister apply the same pressure to tho coal mine owners as he proposed to do to the miners? . Mr Massey "replied that ho had no direct . information as to what -was talcing olace ;it , Pukemiro. He had read the statements , appearing in the newspapers. Ho did not' . know if tho fault lay with the mine owners or the miners. If the mine owners w-eroat faidt they would be treated in just . the same way as tho miners. Ho would ask . tho Manes Department at once for a statement of tho position at Pukemiro. If either ; tho mine owners or the miners had broken the law 'action would be taken.

LACK OF TRAIN ACCOMMODATION.

MINERS ORDERED OUT OF FIRST 'CLASS COMPARTMENT.

"PIN-PRICKING TACTICS."

MEN'S EMPHATIC PROTEST.

(Pee United Press Association.) GREYMOUTTI, September .28. when the State minora' train was leaving Dunolhe this morning for Rewanui with 120 men aboard, the two second class carriages and also a third small one (a first class compartment), which were attached, thoso miners who had to seek 'room in the first class compartment were ordered out of that comnartment. As there was no rooms elsewhere, the other cars being full, the men had to leave the train. Previously the men had regularly used the first class compartment when there was lack of room m the others. The rest of the men resented the action of the .Railway Department and as a protest, all left the train The State mine thus is idle to-day. Later a mass moeting of miners decided: "That we enter our strongest protest against tho pin-prickmg tactics of the Railwav Department, and pledge ourselves to refrain from using the train in future under tho said circumstances.

COAL FAMINE IN AUCKLAND.

GAS SUPPLIES ALMOST EXHAUSTED.

INDUSTRIES SERIOUSLY DISORGANISED.

EARLY CLOSING OF FACTORIES ANTICIPATED.

(Pirn United Pauss Association.)

AUCKLAND, September 28. Serious disorganisation of industry and unemployment for many workers is~imn?inent as a result of tho Gas Company's notification that the suprjly of gas will cease on Thursday night. "Practically every industry will be more or less affected, save thoso in which the machinery is electrically driven. By tho end of thel week most of tho wovkers in tho clothing factories and in many others will be in a state of enforced idleness, and will remain so until the gas supply is restored. Hot meals will also disappear from the restaurants. In addition to theso troubles there is the complete stoppage of tho tram sen-ice. It must be admitted that Auckland is faring badly as a result of trie coal mine dispute.