THE HUNTLY STRIKE

Otago Witness, Issue 3112, 5 November 1913, Page 37

THE HUNTLY STRIKE

ALLEG ED VIOT f MISA TTO\ T , • DENIAL LY THE COMPANY. (From Ocu Own Correspondents.) WELLINGTON, October 28. The Prime Minister (as Minister of Labour) was asked by Sir Joseph Ward in the House this afternoon whether he could give any information in regard to the Huntly strike. - Information had reached him that there was a general opinion that tiic men were in the right. He was not blaming the Government, but the House should know the -position. It was stated that a system had been adopted of starving out the men in order to compel them to do something which they should not bo asked to do. The miners had accused the company of victimisation, and this statement, so far as lie knew, had not been replied to. It was stated that the union had proposed that, in order to avoid the dismissal of tho 16 men, the work available should be spread over the whole of the men, but that this was refused by tine employers. Tho union then asked to bo allowed to ballot out the 16 men, but this also was refused. Sixteen minors, it was stated, were put off, and 14 truckers and surfacemen were put on in their place. The whole of the men had now been out for some time, and, as many of them had their homes and families at Huntly, the House was entitled to know tho position of affairs. A feeling was existent that a system of provocative friction and practical starvation —ho did not wish to use the term offensively—was in operation. The Prime Minister said ho hoped that no attempt would bo made to make party capital out of these unfortunate deputes. Mr Witty: We arc not likely to do that. Mr Massey: I hope not. The position of tho Government was sufficiently difficult without any attempt being made to make it worse. So far as both the present strikes wore concerned, be bad been endeavouring to bring the parties together and arrange for a conference in each case, in the hone that a settlement would be reached. With regard to Huntly, he had received a report from a departmental officer who had been sent from Auckland to Huntly. He then read the following extract from tho report: “Summarising the whole matter, 1 would state that the position is ae follows: “1. Prior to tho dismissal of tho miners i.i question, it appears that, on account of there being a shortage of truckers, some of the miners had been employed in that capacity without reduction of wages—viz., at the ordinary miner’s rate of 11s per day, instead of the'trucker's rate of 9s 6d per day. “ 2. As soon as truckers were available they were" taken on, and the above-men-tioned miners were put back at tiic face. “3. It being usual at ibis time of the year, on account of tho slackness of the trade, to dispense with a considerable number of men, 16 miners wore dismissed —not the above-mentioned minors, however, who had been temporarily employed as truckers. Tho employees dispensed with were those considered by the company to be the least useful to the mine. The books of the company show that it is the practice to considerably shorten the number of hands every year, and the company states

that it will shortly be necessary to further reduce the hands bv 50 or 60.

" (4l The president of the union admits that none of the dismissed .men had I‘een prominent in Labour matters, either in opposing the formation of the new Arbitration Union or in objecting to it since its formation, and the company assures the inspector that it did not even know that any of the dismissed miners were on the executive. (The complaint was to the effect that members of the executive had been victimised for opposing the formation of an Arbitration Union.) It is also admitted by the president of the union that four or five of the dismissed men were recent arrivals and not old employees of the company. It also appears that no men have been taken on since the dismissal of the 16 minors referred to, with the exception of two boys who had been brought out from England to be taken on (the allegation was that men were taken on since the dismissals took place. The president of the union informed the inspector that 14 men were taken on cither immediately before or since the dismissals).

“ (6) The inspector states that there is a total absence of any suggestion that the dismissed men have made themselves obnoxious to the company, and advises that there is no ground for the complaint.” “ This.” said Mr Massey, is practically the whole report that has reached me, It puts a different face on the'position from that put forward by the Leader of the Opposition I have not relaxed my efforts to bring about a conference between the two parties, from which I hope good results will spring.” Sir Joseph Ward: I only gave the information as it came to me. AUCKLAND COAL SUPPLY. AUCKLAND, October 28. Although the output of coal has eased at Huntly, there is no likelihood of a coal famine, a shipment totalling 16.000 tons having arrived during the last few days from Westport and Newcastle.