UNREST AMONG COAL MINERS.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 November 1929, Page 10

UNREST AMONG COAL MINERS.

It is sincerely to be hoped there is to be no foolish upheaval 'in the coalmining industry of the West Coast of the South Island. Time was when strikes and stoppages were almost part of the ordinary attributes of the coaL mining industry. The. result was seen in the decision of the railway authorities some years, ago to make themselves independent of New Zealand supplies, to the great advantage of the. Australian mines and the consequent depression in the Dominion’s industry. For the past few years the coal trade of the West Coast has been anything but buoyant. Pits that were at one time flourishing concerns have been closed, and while every effort is being made to conserve the local market for New Zealand coal there is still a good deal of importation maintained, because the right blend of coals for particular purposes is not easy to obtain within the Dominion. West Coast mines suffer also from the high percentage of “slack” which seems inseparable from modern methods of mining, with their reliance upon the use of explosives. Research into ways, and means of utilising slack coal is now proceeding, and if it can evolve a system that is commercially sound there will be some hope of a thorough revival of the West Coast industry. But prosperity absolutely depends upon continuity of supply, and, as far as may be, stivbility in costs of production, and neither of these is possible if work is to be constantly held up because labour union rules or susceptibilities are thought to have been treated too lightly. Miners on the West Coast should note the result of such tactics in New South Wales. There a once flourishing industry is moribund; in many districts it is quite dead,-and until’costs of labour are reduced and regularity Of output assured there is no hoped of recovery. The difficulties attending the New Zealand industry are quite serious enough. If they are added to by short-sighted agitations and other, artificial hindrancesMd: output there is every chance of Australian experience being repeated inthis country.