MINERS' TROUBLES

Otago Witness, Issue 3339, 13 March 1918, Page 17

MINERS' TROUBLES

STATE COLLIERIES AFFECTED. GREYMOUTH, March a At a meeting of the State Collieries Miners' Union last night it was decided to stop work until men who refused to pay a 2j per cent, levy to assist those affected by the Australian strike decide to contribute. About 40 men have refused to pay the levy at the Rewanui and Point Elizabeth mines, which were idle to-day. Another trouble at the State mines is over the position of the weighbridge at Rewanui since the big slip. The men claim that it should be placed at the mouth of the mine, instead of some distance therefrom. The management declines to accede to this request. The men claim that the present system means wastage, and consequent loss of weights, between the two places, they being paid tonnage rates. «. • March 9. The Stato mine is idle again to-day, but a settlement is hoped for by Monday. WESTPORT, March 5. The Millerton Miners' Union decided last night to cease work owing to ten of its members refusing to pay a levy of 2fc per cent, on behalf of the victims of the Australian strike. The mine has been idle to-day. March 7. The miners at the Westport Coal Company's Millerton mine %vho objected to pay a levy on behalf of Australian victims of the recent strike have now all. paid the levy, and work will be resumed at Millerton to-morrow. ■■- ~ . GREYMOUTH, March 6. The miners at the Pa-paroa mine have been idle since Monday. The whistle blew as usual, but the men failed to turn to. The exact cause of the trouble is. not ascertainable. It is said that it might .be duo to any one of four causes, not omitting the military n?pect. The miners at the Paparoa- mine have resumed work. > . STRIKE AT OTTRA. The Mayor of as chairman of the Arthur's Pass Tunnei League,. received a telegram from Otira on the sth stating that the men had stopped"work'on, account of a dispute that has arisen. ':"• "■- The telegram, which was signed by Mr McLaren, for the Labourers' Union, Elated that the cause of the trouble was the dismissal of a boy employed in the lamp room. According to the message, three boys had been employed in the lamp room, attending to the acetylene lamps used in the tunnel. One boy who attended to .'the tunnel telephone exchange as we 11... as\ to the Lamps, was taken off that work. and put on to heavier work. This left Only two boys in the lamp room, and they, it is stated, have to bo on duty 12 hours a day. The boy who was taken from the lamp room could not do the_ fresh . work assigned, to him, and was dismissed, "a disgraceful action," the message concludes, "as ho was dismissed! because he was unable to do work he was not. engaged to do." There, is a reference also to this boy having a crippled hand. The West Coast sub-committee decided to send the following message to Mr M'Laren: "This committee is prepared to send a deputation early next week to the tunnel to investigate the trouble.*- Meanwhile it strongly urges the men to resume work pending investigation!" CHRISTCHTJRCH, March 7. Very little has been done towards a settlement of the strike at the Otira tunnel, owing to the absence of the resident engineer. Mr F. W. Furkert (Public Works Engineer) went up to-day to inquire into matters. The strike was the outcomo of a lamp boy being put on to firing two boilers, which work was beyond him, as he has a crippled hand. It is alleged that wh.fn he informed the authorities of this he was told he would be replaced, as the injury to his hand was not received in the tunnel. He was dismissed on Friday, and the union informed the management that the men would cease work on Monday if the lad was not reinstated. As he was not, the men came out. . . Work was proceeding apace in the tunnel before the strike, as the ground encountered was the softest yet met.