THE MINING INDUSTRY

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume XIX, Issue 6197, 20 April 1921, Page 2

THE MINING INDUSTRY

COST OF LIVING

THE MICK'S DEMANDS

NEW AGfiEEMEMT WANTLO

INCREASED WAGES REFUSED

PROPOSALS DEFERRED TO UNION.

The oon.foren.ee between representatives oi! the .Waihi district mine owners and the Ohinemuri Mines audi Batteries Union of Workers, with a view to arriving a'ib the basis of. a new industrial agreement, was continued throughout yesterday afternoon and evening. The owners were represented by Messrs Clu\s Rhodes, K. C. Banks (Waihi G.M. Company), and S. Leah (Grand Junction Gold; Company), and the unilm by Mters M. A. Reilly, 11. A. Pipe, and A. Parker (Miners 7 Union). Mrssrs M. \V. Hopkiw CvVaihi Company) and \V. MeConachic (Granid Junction) were hi otiendancc in an advisory capacity.

Tho demands submitted by the union icprbsentativesi for of the agreement under which they had been working wore as tallows: — 1. That eight hours, inclusive of cribtime, constitute a shift's work for surface workers. That whejre it is necessary for workers to wear oilbas six hours shall constitute a shift's work. That where a wording face exceeds 80deg. six lours shall constitute a shift's work. 2. An increase in wages to all wagpfc men of 2s per shift on existing rates. Minimum wage of £1 per shift to all contractors. Two-thirds of a. shift be paid for Saturday, in place of half as j aid at present. 1 S Any youth performing any of the duties- specified in. clause 2 of the agreement shall be paid the rales provided thoreih.

4. B'tttery repairers to be included in the clause covering dirty work... 5. Tha-t where a. workers works more than one week's night shift continuously overtime ral.es shall be paid after the firsv. week. That no worker bo penalised for refusing to work overtime. C. All worker* to be paid fortnightly. 7. Bath-houses to be erected at battel ies. 8. That where a worker has worked day shift and is called out after twelve o'clock at night he shall receive overtime lates.

The discussion on the first section of clause 1, relative to an eight-hour day for suvrace workers (crib-time included), wa s continued, and the union's proposal was finally rejected by the owners. With regard to a. six-hour shift being observed where workers find it necessary to wear oilers. Mr Parker pointed out that the mere faefc that the wearing <>! oilers w:v; nceosiary indicated that it was a wet place, and* that only six hours should be worked as sot forth in the mining regulations.

This vk % w was not coincided in by Uie mine owners' representatives, Mr B;inks pointing out that there were p;wt% in which men wore oiVrs, hut which, m hji opinion, could not he designated as wet places within the intention of the regulations. Thus he thought that it should be left to the discretion of the Mining Inspector to ckxennine what should; be designated, as a. wet place c-nH-incr for a six-hour shift, and it would therefore not be necessary to incorporate such a clause in the agreement. Mr Rhode,, concurred, holding that the inspector should decide as to wet and gaseous places. Mr Parker, on behalf of the union, was prepared to concede that the matter be left to the Mining Inspector, subject to its being understood "that where that official decm'ed the wearing oif oilers necessary such place he treated as wet. and only six-hours worked.

This was not acceptable to the own-eil-i, and no final decision was reached. Tlio claim a that where the heat in a working face exceeds 80 degrees only six hours be worked was passed over without much discussion, but it was indicated that the owners were opposed to it.

THE WAGES QUESTION, Clause 2, bearing on the demand for wago increases, was tho most important from tho workers' standpoint, ami formed food for considerable, discussion. Mr Rhodes, in opening, said it do owners would be bound by what the Arbitration Court decided upon in connection with tho fixation of wages on the cost of living busis, and would be

prepared to abide by the Court'* decision.

Mr Parker contended that if the wotkers agreed to such a course they amid expect nothing. lie held that the Arbitration Court wa,s influenced, in its decisions by the Employers' Association, and he would therafore prefer that any agreement on the wage question should be determined between the workers and the owners in a rouiid-the-tabie conference.

i,b- Pipe: 'I endorse, that opinion." Mr Rhodes pointed out tluijt the cost. of .operating tho Waihi G. M. Company's mine hadi risen again and again during the past Jour years, nvijfch the result that the average value of (the ore now being milled, if based on tho normal pi ice of gold and silver, would leavo the owner* without profit. The only tiling the owners at present relied upon [ 'for the profit shown wa.s the inflated j t prices oi the metals mentioned. Since the hist agreement the price of silver had dropped, from Gs per ounce to well under 3s, and gold had receded in markol vahio by V-'s per ounce. Tlic.se reductions in price, coupled wftn high production cods, had made 'C necessary for the directors to reduce dividends to shareholders by half. In order that the men might be satisfied that ithe position v/ns as he had stated he was to admit of the examination by an accredited accountant, to bo appointed by the. union, of tho company's costs Kiicelo. It was impossihle in the eircum-1 staimes for the mine owners to grant I any increases and ait the same time | t'oidinue to curry on tlw industry., ami

ho trusted that the workers would he batJfrficd, to retain the gains made in wages under the ol;d agreement, which it vnxs the limit of the capacity of the companies to meet.

As a contention in favour of the dojuiitnc! Mr Parker quoted from the figures prepared by the Gbvermnent statistician on the cost of living, holding that these indicated an increase of 1 14' per cent on the costs since April, 1920, during which period the workers had< not received a commensurate advance in wages.

Mr Rhodes, replying said the coat of living question in relation to wages would be considered by the Arbitration Court when dealing with the applications of workers generally for increased wages a few weeks hence.

Mr Parker remarked that it seemed to him that while tlie conference had been arranged with a view to reaching an agreement the owners were determined not to do anything to meet the men's demands.

Mr Banks remarked that"this wa.s not tlit> position. The companies, iwere prepared to go a-s far as was possible, but tho treasury would not permit of their making increases in wages beyond, those c'.niceded at 'the conference of 1920. They had. to consider their shareholders as well aja the workers. After some further disscussion Mr. Parker emphasised tho fact that the workers wore not prepared to submit their demands to the Arbitration Court for .settlement, and Mr Rhodes, speaking for the owners, said that on their part the owners would be bound by the Court in any decision reached, and (would be compelled to abido by sxicn decision. The best the owners coiuMdo meantime would be tb renew the existing agreement and accept the Court's decision, and ill the Court should in six months time determine upon a reduction on tho present scale of wages that decision would have to Tie abidecfi by. This, after Mr Parker haU stated thn the only course apparently open to the men's representatives tvas to place- the owners' decision before the members of the union for consideration, closed the discussion on the wages question. Tho speaker added that this might lead to a bit of trouble.

OTHER MATTERS. The several other clauses in the demands wen; taken seriatuin, and Nos. 3,4, 6 and 7 were, not found acceptable to the mine owner*. Clauso 3, relaitivc to youths performing any of the duties specified in clause 2 of the agreement being paid the rates p.A>vkte* therein, proved more or less contentions. Mr Parker held that youths under 20 years of aso should not be worked underground on the ground of health, and that i ; i wUrk w ! as insisted upon by the companies the youth;; should* havo ithe same wago.-', as the men doing similar work.

Mr Banks pointed out that compliance with the demand would prevent youths from 'earning mining. Generally (speaking the companies were not:, anxious to employ youths underground, but were compelled to do so at times when men were not available. To meet the union's wishes, as far as it was possible in this direction, tfio owners wouldbe prepared, to limit the number of youths employed below. Mr Parker was opposed to any youths being employed underground unless paid men's wages, but was prepared to meet Mr Bank's suggestion for a limitation of youths working on the surface find undergfourttr. After further discussion on the (subject at the evening sitting Mr Rhoaes made certain proposals as to youths' wages, which Mr Parker said would not he found acceptable to the men and would be fought. These will be published* to-morrow.

Tlio matter of continuous night-shift, (clause 8) was next discussed. Mr J. Banks (Victoria battery, Waikiiio) explained that there was only one ea» ; > where arrangements, owing 'to sidaiiyk and' other causes, had not yee been made to give the man concorned a tfpell. but this would lie done at tho earliest moment. He quoted instances fv/here two men, living on their rev i ' . r . spective farms, had asked for continuous night-shift so as to fit in with their farm ditties.

Mr E. G. Banks pointed out that if a man was employed at the company's request at such work, then a payment of 2s would be ma.d.t". Th<» company agreed to tho request of the men living on their farms, as already statod, merely to oblige them. These arrangements, lib considered, were quite fair to all

parties. Mr Rhodes in'tima/ted that the company wan willing to liavo the sub-office ejected (on a .si tl> be agreed upon) and available, on pay days. fn regard 'to clause 5, he said that if a roan was called out suddenly at night time without any previous notieo then a payment, of 2s would be ma do for the disability.

Tho term of tho proposed agreement was stated to he twelve ntouths:. Tlie conference concluded ait 0.40 p.m., and it now remains for the miner.-;' representatives to refer the matters to their union 'for consideration.

ENGENE-DR 1 VERS" DEMANDS

main matters referred to* cogrt. The Messrs V. Jarvis (president). A. Hall, A. E. Robinson. J. Payne and A. E. Ritchie (secretary) of, the South Auckland Knginedrivtus'. Winders', Mottinnon';, and) Firemen's (Gold Mines) Vnion, at the cb-.o o: ; the afternoon session yesterday (if ithe Miners' "Union couforen-e with the mine owners' representatives, met the latter, and submitted , amended claims in the master o| an increase or wages, hours of work, and' overtime rates for the basis of a new industrial agreement.

On the. question of wages the union linked for an all-round increase of 2s per H.hift. Mr Jarvis, in support of the application, pointed out that most o! the unions were getting 4s 9d per shift more I ban the Waihi union was re-

ceiving. "Wtvitland mine owners, for instance, he stated, were paying £1 Os 10d, and Huntiy £1 Is MM, as against 1.7 s paid to the members of the Waihi union. The mining companies referred to were also paying two separate

bonuses. Mr Banks, in referring to the mining companies quoted, pointed* out that a coal mine and gold mine were two different proportions. Coal mining companies on the one hnnd.could pass the increases on to consumers, while gold mining companies had no opportunity of passing the cost of their products on. At tho time of entering into the agreement twelve, months ago with the Winders' "Union the product 'of the gold) mine* was selling at an inflated price. Since ithen the prices of metals, goTd a,nd silver, had fallen considerably The only question, it seemed to him, was whether the cost of living warranted an increase, and this would bo determined hy a pronouncement of the Omit of Arbitration. Should tho price of gold and silver revert to pre-war times then tho Waihi Company could not, under present working conditions, make any profit at all. Mr Rhodes .said that a .rise, of wages njt this juncture would ho suicidal to tho company, and the company could not possibly voluntarily agree to grant [ any increase in wages. After some further argument the question of any increase in wastes was left, flo the Arbitration Court. An increase of Is per hour in respect to dirt money wa> made in the demands. The present allowance of Is 6d per hour was, tho union representatives contended, insufficient. Mr Jarvis. urged thait by 'the time a man finished th* job of cleaning out the flues o;' the boilers his clothes were unfit to be worn again. Asew as to how many men in the union were affected by th- dirt money cJau.se, i!b was shown that only two or threo men were engaged in that class of work, but it (was pointed out that a number of men belonging to the Miners' Union were affected. After some further discussion it was also agreed that this question be left to the Court. After other maidens had been discussed, including that of payment to men coining to wdrk find finding on reaching the mill: or mine that there is noiwork for them, the companies agreed that if men in that position had not received notice that there was no wbrk for them they would be paid for 'two hours by way of compensation. The mine owners' representatives finally intimated thait with the above alteration Uioy were prepared to renew tile existing agreement for a perfod oi l twelve months, and not rtwo years as Jk<ked for by th-.< union delegatesThe delegates will submit the conference results to special meetings of tho members of the union.