COALMINERS' GRIEVANCES.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 15321, 17 September 1920, Page 7

COALMINERS' GRIEVANCES.

STATEMENT ON PETIALr OF "MEN. AUCKLAND, last night,. A meeting oi the coal miners who have i been striking since September (? was held jat Huntly to-day. At the close of the meeting tha following statement was j issued by Messrs A. Windwail (secretary ■of the Huntly Miners' Union) and H. Smith (member <rf the Rotowaro branch of the Union):— "So many conflicting reports having appeared m the press, we, as official representatives of the Huntly I and Rotowaro men, wish to place before the public tho position simply as it ' is. When the Huntly and Rotowaro mines were first opened the miners made representation to the General Manager oi Railways for a better train service, and a reduction of train fares on the lines of suburban rates, and after a great deal of effort on the part of the miners the Railway Department flatly refused tho request. The position on the lino with respect fco Rotowaro and Pukemiro is not what tho public is led to believe. Tlie Prime Minister recently made a statement m the House that suburban rates were granted m tho four great centres for the purpose of preventing overcrowding m the cities and to induce workers to reside m the country. We wish to state that afc the present time suburban rates are m vogue on the Henderson line, where hundreds of brick, tile and pottery workers travel from, the city to New Lynn and Avondale and bock to the city on the suburban rates. We clnim there are no facilities with respect, to accommodation for tho workers to live at Rotowaro or Pukeiniro. The Pukemiro mine is situated eight miles from Huntly, and the Pukemiro township is three miles from the mine with one of the worst roads to travel it is possible to imagine. Forty per cent, of the workers engaged at Pukemiro are living ai the township, and the rest live at Huntly and travel to and | from their work. The managing director \ pf tho Pukemiro company recently made ' a statement to the press that the company was prepared to work the mines . with the miners residing at the Puke-, niiro township. The managing director knows quite well that all available ac- , commodation is taxed to the utmost. He ' does not state to the public thafc his comJ pany has builfc only ten houses for miners fco live m, The Teßfc of the houses at Pukemiro are owned by the miners. If Mr E. Wight would build more and talk less there would perhaps be a little more comfort for the miners working at Pukemiro m the future. Rotowaro is situated six miles from Huntly. At this place there- are only- twelve houses, and these are all occupied, company has a few more m the course of erection. Por these houses the miners pay. 15s a week rent. There is no store and no school, and the miners' wives have, to come to Huntly fco do their shopping. If they require any little parcels to be sent to them the Railway Department charges 6d per parcel, so it will.be rjeadily seen that there is no inducement fqr miners to take their families to this imaginary township. Only ten per cent of th* workers employed at .Rotowaro can live 1 (there- under present conditions. There isi a fair percentage of boys travelling on this line who work at the mine for 5s a day. These boys working afc Pukenliro have to work practically one day each week ito pay for their weekly ticket. If a worker, uses his weekly ticket on the* Monday and falls sick or meets with an accident on the Tuesday i the surrender value Is nil. The Prime Minister has stated that the dispute is between tbe coal company and the union. • We state that the dispute is between the Railway Deparfcmeniyand the union. We are simply asking for the same workers rates as are granted m every other part of the Dominion, tliat it, suburban rates. Some, time ago when the unions mentioned were fixing" their local agreements the Hon. E. W. Alison; agreed to place this ! matter before the Government with the object of preventing any stoppage oi I work. He practically assured the union representatives that! this would meet with ■ favorable consideration frpm the Governimonfc. However, nothing has eventuated. *We minDr* have no'Ydesire to cease work { at any time, as we 'realise that* wo suffer 'along with the rest. ' of the community, but, when grievances artf shelved for an , indefinite period workers naturally beifjome restless and discontented and eventually 'go the whole hog.' It has 'appear- j • ed m- th© press that the Huntly miners are clamoring for a secret ballot for the purpose of deciding whether the present action should be continued. > At aNmass meeting held to-day the opportunity of a secret ballot was heUJ.piit to all members, but lio member wished for a secret ballot Ito jje taken. On tho other hand it war unanimously decided to leave tlie matter iri the hands of iw| Miners' Federation and to loyally stand by the Federation m whatever action is deems necessary to end the present dispute." WELLINGTON, last night. Regarding the "Waikato coal mines, Mr Arbuckle, secretary of the Coal Miners' Federation, informed fl. reporter to-day that lie had interviewed the ' Prime Minis (Ler, and Mr Massey had intimated that the' Government could not see its way clear to grant to ? the men the railway concessions asked for. Tho owners had also refused to pay the extra rates to the men for railway travelling. "Afc the miners throughout New Zealand have pledged themselves to support the Huntly and Pukemiro unions, the executive of the Federation will be called together on Monday to deal with the situation," added Mr Arbuckle.— Press Assn. j