MIMING TROUBLE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 14667, 26 July 1918, Page 3

MIMING TROUBLE.

EMPLOYERS DENOUNCE FEDERATION. ' ALLEGATIONS OF MISCHIEF ( MAKING. I (Special to the Herald. J j WELLINGTON, this day. The coal mine-owners' reasons for refusing to meet the Miners' Federation to discuss increased wages are contained m a statement of nearly 5000 words, traversing tho detailed points made by j the federation, and declaring m effect that aa the federation has shown more disposition to create trouble thaji to maintain industrial' peace, the owners wish to deal direct with the unions, as was the case when ihe present agreements were effected. Tho statement reminds the public that when the federation was endeavoring to secure the last advances there came a prosecution m Auckland arising out of- the federation's "go slow" policy referred to m the federation's official statement. The Miners' Federation ■• admits the reliability of , the Crown Prosecutor's evidence, part of. which was to tho effect that tho federation officials deliberately set themselves out to disturb industrial conditions. DISTURBERS OF THE PEACE.' "The attempt of the federation to disturb existing binding agreements and awards under which the unions here have, been amicably working indicates," says the employers, "that the same policy is still being- adopted. That being the case, it is believed that the general public will support the coal mine-owners m their refusal to meet the Federation representatives. : The New Zealand Coal Mino-Owners' Federation is a national organisation re» preventative of practically the whole of the coal mining companies of New Zealand, and will be prepared at any time to meet the representatives of the workers' national organisation when it is demonstrated beyond dotibt that its officials have < abandoned the policy of creating industrial strife. .The association is further justified m its attitude by the fact that the agreements above referred to have still a |ong period of currency ; that the employers are entitled to insist that they should be carried out m their entirety by the unions, ns the federation would- undoubtedly insist they should be carried out by companies. Up till the ,' time the Miners' Federation put forward the present demands the .miners were working well; giving a good, output.-. There was every indication, that they were satisfied with their conditions. The mine-owners feel confident , that up to that date no general request from the miners had been made . to the federation officials to make - a demand for a further increase of wages, and it, would be interesting to learii on what authority it was made,. In other words, the mine-owners are strongly of opinion that the present dispute, was not originated by the union, and, this furnishes a further strong reason for refusing to meet tho federation. >, i < . ; THE EMPLOYERS' OFFER. The offer the mine-owners have made to the Miners' Unions' throughout the Dominion is to pay : ''an t, additional 1 ' bonus of 5 per cent. -to', wages men aiuj 24 per cent, to contract workers and piece workers, Jo all such Workers who attend and work f ujl'' available time during any fortnight, the bonus; however, not to apply, to any special contract or contract's for which tender? have been called. In. addition to ■ the above there was an- offer to institute I trucking on contract m place of the present day-wages' systeni; Immediately on the federation r6presentative. c j being made aware of -the . offer' of a ! bonus for full Vime worked they issued j instructions to unions not to accept the mi ne -owners' offer. -They were evidently so afraid that the unions might ns before agree to tho proposals made by the employers, and thus secure neace throughout tho coal mines of the Dominion, that they took upon themselves the responsibility of preventine any chance settlement being reached." HOW TO INCREASE OUTPUT. A statement of the time lost by miners m eight .mines is quoted, show iiig; that ( tho percen^tge rango.d ".from 10 to 20, so, that^Affcr r .-.allowing for. unavoidable causes .'there was ample justification, says the statement, for the suggestion that 4 qn an average 10 per cent, more time -feould '-.be- worked if the miners desire. The employers .absolutely disclaim any suggestion of speeding up. They urge that, apart, from humanitarian considerations, it would be no advantage, , but on the. contrary a decided loss' to companies to advocate, conditions which v . would be likely to' cause increased accidents. The claim, that the miners are producing .more, coal per man than m any other time m the history of the Dominion is evident-' ly made with the intention of misleading the public. The real position if shown m a statement of the Mines Department of 1916, that the increase m tonnage may be attributed to more regular work- at the, collieries. The details of the output per man m two. largo collieries show a reduction of 75 tons per man since 1913-14. "Indeed," continues the statement, ''the experience of the mine-owners m New Zea-' land generally is that the increase m the rate of pay is frequently followed by a reduction of output, which is an^ other strong reason for basing the pay-, ment of any furfher bonus on the full time worked. It is admitted that the output of the New Zealand miner is higher than m many other countries, but that is accounted for by better, conditions of work. The fact is. that, the seams of coal m ;-New Zealand mines are thicker and the • coal softer than m most other countries, and there fore is much easier to work. The miners obtain more holidays than any other class of workers. As against the' increase m the cost of living, the fed, eration knows that the mine worker has already had his wntges increased above all other workers.. At least the rates have been increased by from 17-1. per cent, to 20 per „ceht; . , and then, by reason of more sjteady employment m mines than .ever before, many miners are earning 25 per cent, to 30 per cent., even m some cages!' up ,to 50 per cent., more than m pre,-war times," RETAIL PRICES— "NO ' RESPONSIBILITY.?' „ The association has ho* control over retail prices of coal, which is sold usually on steamer or > truck. Every increase charged by coal mine-owners during the war period .can be fully justified. Certainly the increases made are not nearly so high as might be supposed from a roturn published by the federation. The association is not m a position to comment on' the retail prices, except to ' say that from the southern mines at any rate the proportion of household coal -to the coal used and sold for other, purposes is comparatively small ; that while the State can and does retail ' bosehold coal at a loss, it is quite impossible for retail dealers to do so.; and the State charges at least as much as private companies for coal it sells for industrial, Government, and ■ other purposes. The Miners' Federation is advised to complain tp , the ■ Board': of Trade if it considers the retail prices too high. If the cbal-niining companies were making the : huge profits the federation desires to -suggest . are being mald.e, - the results ; \voulaV be shown m "the balance-sheets,, dividends paid, and ? Interest on capital earned. A return recently' prepared for the confidential information of the Government, which for obvious reasons' cannot be published, shows conclusively that coal-nyniiig operations on the whole have been distinctly unprofitable. A miirn from nine "representative companies shows, ' amongst other things, th* during the- past three years foui companies paid no dividends at pi ; only two paid, dividends on each </ the three yearßj that while the averse, dividend paid by the five companies' was about ■ 5 ,per cent.', the average pread over the whole nine companief Wfts less than. 4- per cent.

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The statement shows that the capital invested m nine companies was £1,501,786, while the average interest earned on capital invested was 3.7 per cent. If further burdens are thrown on the industry they must bo carried . by iho general public. The association ' concludes by declaring the opinion that m justice to its own members and; m the interests of the. general public, it should not submit demands which are not justified, and -which m fairness to the general body of mine workers it should be said do not come from them,, as the certain result of doing so mustj be, as already indicated, to raise t.ho price of coal, and thus further increase the cost of living. The associa- . tion is also of opinion that there is no duty cast upon the Government to force a consultation between the Coal Mine-Owners'. Association and the Mm- ■ ers' Federation when the circumstances j are such as are .set forth.