COAL TROUBLES,

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16331, 21 January 1921, Page 5

COAL TROUBLES,

“ GO-SLOW ” IN AUCKLAND, [Pb* PT.MB A?SOC.’ATIOS.] AUCKLAND, January 20. The actual loss in tonnage caused in Waikato this week by the “ go slow ” policy is difficult to determine- It approximates o*3 per cent of the usual output. The Taupiri mines hare lost something like 300 tons daily. Their normal production is 1000 tons a day, and Pukemiro, which usually produces an average of 480 tons per day, last 230 tons on Monday, 130 on Tuesday, an© 160 yesterday. The heavier loss on Monday is accounted for by a stopwork meeting held by the men. Deliveries to local agents from the M aipu mines were substantially short on Monday, but for Tuesday and yesterday they were somewhat improved, though they wore not up to the normal bulk.

KAITANGATA MINERS. STATEMENT BY GENERAL MANAGER. [From Ora C"oruesi’ondentsJ DUNEDIN, January Tile attitude or the Kaitangata Min* ers Union remains unaltered, and the miners are again idle to-day. In accordance with thaa management’s notice of yesterday the position now is that the men have ceased to bo employees of the Kaitangata Company, and before work can bo resumed individual application for employment will be necessary. A section of the men look upon the action of the management as a lock-out and are now inclined to shift the blame for the present trouble on to thn company. The men (four m number), about whom the trouble started, continue at work, while the union daily holds and adjourns meetings in a futile endeavour to compel them to atteud. Where. or when the matter will end there is absolutely no indication. The Taratu miners haro adopted a “ go-slow ” policy in sympathy with the Kaitangata men. and have promised to assefit them financially and morallyThey will contribute either to strike pay or will go on strike if necessary. It was stated at to-day's meeting that advice had been received from the Minors’ Federation that the Kaitangata miners had adopted the correct attitude and that th© Federation would stand by them. Mr Robert Lee, general manager of tlie Kaitangata CfeaJ Company, returned to Dunedin this afternoon from a visit to the mines. In answer to a question br a “ Dailv Time** tf reporter, Mr Lee • said that the oause of the trouble, so far as the company was concerned, was simply that the men held a stop-work meeting on Monday morning at seven o’clock, he understood, to consider what support it should give to the Blackball miners in connection with their dispute. That hour. 7 a.m., was ill© time when they should Jytve started work. Some of the worl!?krs did not attend th» meeting, but went to work in tho mine. Claus© 21 of the local agreement- states: —“Raving regard to tlio working hours for the time being existing, no miner or any employee shall absent himself from work during his proper working hours while-the mine is at work without the sanction of the mine manager, sub-managor or deputy, except through sickness or accident.’ 5 On Monday morning a deputation from the stop-work meeting waited on tlie management and asked that the men who had gone to work should he sent, t-o tho meeting. _ The management declined to do anything of tine kind, and pointed out to the men that they were committing a breach of the agreement in holding a stop-work meeting during working hours. The men then asked that they should Ix 3 .allowed to go to work at the conclusion of tho s too-work meeting. Mr Le© said he understood it ended about 8.30 a.m., but the management declined to agree to this. The union then informed the management that it wns going to hold another meeting at seven o’clock the following morning (Tuesday) and that it- would continue to hold meetings until the members absenting themselves attended- The union also asked the management to use its influence to persuade the absentees to attend the stop-work meeting on Tuesday morning. It was pointed out to tho men that they were virtually on strike, that they had committed a breach of tlio agreement, and that if the company did anything to meet the -men’s request it would be ft party to committing a breach of th© agreement. At the meeting called for Tuesday morning it was decided to hold another meeting on the following morning. The union held another meeting on Wednesday morning, and then decided to hold meetings on the same day at 3 p.m. and 11 p.m. The meeting took place. On Wednesday, however, the company notified tho union (and also posted notices at the mine to the same effect) that tho mine would be opened for work us usual on Thursday at the times of usual shifts, namely 7 a.m., 3 p.m., and 11 p.m., and that anybody who failed to start at the stipulated times would be consider€*d to have left the company's service. This morning another stop-work meeting was held at 7 o'clock and at its conclusion a deputation from the union visited th© management ami stated, amongst other things, that they { had no grievance against the company, ; but that they intended to make the absentees support the union. Tho position now was that the men who had i ailed to return to work had auto- j inatically left tho employment of the company. About thirty -men attended their work at 7 a.m. to-day hut well over 200 men ai-© idle. Air Le© said he wished to make it <v«ite cleai* that his company had not Iccl-Sd out tho men. The mines had been open for employees at- the usual ’ mes ever since Monday morning, and j lilts company had not refused to allow any miner to start, provided he turned :o at the times set by the company. Ihe company had, however, refused to hand over to the union th© tight to say when work should bo waited. There was no other industry where, for the safety of the mines am! the lives of the men, it was so imperative that the authority of the mine manager should ho upheld. The manager was presumably responsible under th© Coal Mines Act for the lives of tlio workmen and the safety oi' the mines, «nd if the right to say when work was to be started was to bp handed to the ! union then bis task would become an j impossible one.

ACCIDENTS IN MINES. A SATISFACTORY RECORD. [Pur Press Association.} WELLINGTON, January 20. TH© .Minister of Minos, Mr Massey, ‘rated to-day that in a recent report to hand from the Chief Inspector of Coal Mines he points out that during the year 1920 only one fatal colliery accident occurred in th© Dominion, tlio sufferer, a co-operative miner, being solely responsible for the fall which killed him. an he neglected to timber his working place. The death-rate per 1000 person? employed at coal-mining in th© Dominion was o.3th that rate being the lowest for thirty-four years, PV.fi is one-third of the lowest proportion ever attained in th© United Kingdom, which country is more immune from colliery accidents, in proportion to number of persons employed, than any foreign country. Tlie exceptional record obtained in New Zealand collieries lor the year 19ft0 is very satisfactory *<nd the management and staffs of collieries, as well, oh the miners them►**lve?. are to be highly commended far their efforts in obtaining such a record, '•'be inspection staff of tho Aluies !>©- p > ■ W tb? Am multi