MINERS’ FEDERATION.

Otago Witness, Issue 3615, 26 June 1923, Page 9

MINERS’ FEDERATION.

MOVEMENT FOR SECESSION. WELLINGTON, June 20. Although no official advice has been received from the West Coast as to the filial result in that sphere of voting upon the proposal for the formation of district miners’ organisations in Westland, Southland, and the North Island, it appears that the movement for secession from the federation is favoured by a large majority of those who took part in the ballot. The voting at Ngakawau, which, on account of the scattered positions of members of the union, had to be conducted over two days and was consequently delayed, gives the final result as 680 in favour of the proposal and 439 against it. The proposal was supported by all the unions except the Share miners, who rejected it by 170 votes to 108. The fact that ihe miners at Denniston did not record their votes, however, places a different complexion on the final result. Tiie Denniston union, which consists of between 400 and 500 miners, held a meeting and unanimously declined to take a bailot, thus indicating ihat they are wholly out of favour with the scheme to break down the federation. It is being argued in Labour circles that the result of the ballot is in effect defeated by the Denniston union, which, if it had voted, would have cast a majority against the proposals over the whole of the other unions. It is evident that the project cannot successfully be put into operation. It is considered that if the West Coast supporters continue to act on the lines they are now- pursuing they will very soon have neither a national nor a district federation.

The Hikurangi Miners’ LTiion unanimously decider! in favour of the Miners’ Federation as it is at present constituted.