WORK & WAGES

Southland Times, Issue 18973, 21 June 1923, Page 5

WORK & WAGES

NEW ZEALAND MINERS’ VOTE. FEDERATION OR DISTRICT CONTROL. (Per United Press Association). WELLINGTON, June 20. Although no official advice has been received from the West Coast as to the final 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 Fede ration is favoured by a large majority of those who took part in the ballot. The voting at Ngakawau, which on account cf the scattered positions of the members of this 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. Tho proposal was supported by all unions except the State Miners, who rejected it by 170 votes to 108. The fact that the miners at Denniston did not record their votes, however, places a different complexion on the final result. The Denniston Union, which consists of between 400 and 500 miners, held a meeting and unanimously declined to take a ballot, thus indicating that they are wholly out of favour with the scheme to break down the Federation. It is being argued in local Labour circles that the result of the ballot is in effect defeated by the Denniston Unicn, which if it had voted would have cast a majority against the proposals over the whole of the other unions involved. It is considered that if the West Ccast supporters continue to act on the lines they are now pursuing they will very soon have neither national nor district federation. The Hikurangi Miners’ Union unanimously decided in favour of the Miners’ Federation as at present constituted.