RE-OPENING MINES

Waipa Post, Volume 45, Issue 3202, 12 July 1932, Page 5

RE-OPENING MINES

MEN ACCEPT TERMS. END OF LONG DISPUTE. (By Telegraph. Press Association.) HUNTLY, Monday. By a majority of nearly four to one the miners of the Waikato and Hikurangi coalfields decided to-day to accept the settlement of the northern coal miners dispute which was effected by their delegates at the conference in Wellington last Friday. This means that the miners will go back to work in the Waikato and Hikurangi mines to-morrow morning, after a stoppage of five weeks and three days. Voting was by secret ballot. The ballot papers read: "Are you in favour of accepting the new agreement?" and the result was as follows: —Yes, 527; no, 158. Majority for acceptance, 369. The total valid votes cast numbered 685. SMALL MARGIN AT HIKURANGI. Although separate figures for each mine are not available, it is understood that the majority for acceptance was much larger in the Waikato unions than at Hikurangi, where the settlement was agreed to by only a small margin of votes. The figures of to-day's ballot are practically the reverse of those of the ballot after the second Auckland conference. On that occasion the voting was: For acceptance, 196; against, 520. Majority against, 324. It is also noteworthy that there is little difference between the total number of valid votes cast on each occasion, 716 votes being cast on the last occasion and 185 to-day.