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JOHN FOSTER.]

47

I.—4a.

432. Are the hours of labour specified in the agreement? —Yes. 433. Would this Bill alter the hours before the expiry of the agreement?—Not to my mind. 434. Do the miners desire that it should?—l do not think so. Ido not desire that it should, at any rate. 435. When the agreement had run out the Bill would alter the hours?—Certainly. 436. Will you explain what you meant when you said that a miner would not be able to get trucks sometimes ?—There are various reasons why he cannot get them at times. There might be breakdowns here and there, or mishaps, or unforeseen things. 437. Are those the only reasons? —Perhaps a mine-manager has got his mine overstocked with labour, and cannot supply trucks. 438. Is that the case at Denniston at busy times?—No, I do not say that; but I know it is the case in many places in New Zealand. 439. That the mine is overstocked with men, and the trucks cannot be supplied to them? —Yes. 440. Now, if the hours of labour are cut down by half an hour, and a miner produces in that reduced time as much as he does now, will that require a greater number of trucks to be served in that time ? A quicker supply of trucks to the men will be required if they are doing more work in a shorter time? —Yes, certainly. 441. How can that take place in a mine which is overstocked with men, and there is a difficulty now to keep up the supply of trucks ?—Where a miner cannot get trucks sometimes, it is caused by the mine-manager overstocking the mine with men. That is what I say. 442. Take the case of a mine overstocked with men. If this Bill comes into force and the men have to put out in half an hour less time as much as they are now putting out, will it not require a quicker supply of trucks to the men in order to get the stuff away ?—To get the same amount of coal out in the reduced time, the same amount of trucks would have to go in in half an hour less time. But that does not alter my previous answer : the overstocking of the mine is the minemanager's fault; it is not the workmen's look-out. 443. But the mine-manager has got his customers to supply ?—Yes. 444. And has to get out in half an hour less as much coal as he is new getting out ?—Yes. 445. What I want to get at is this : Supposing that the men work half an hour a day less, how is the mine-owner to supply trucks to the men in half an hour less time in order to get the same output ?—Put stronger machinery on to cope with the difficulty. 446. Is that the only way of coping with it ?—ln any case, if he wants to increase his production 447. It is not a question of increasing the production ; it is a question of keeping the production at the same amount, though working shorter hours. He would have to put on extra machinery —is that your answer? —I say that if the owner's hauling-rope is not good enough to get out the same amount of stuff in less time he must put on fresh machinery. 448. How many men are there employed on day-wages at Denniston ? —I suppose, about four hundred. 449. How would this Bill affect them ?—lt would make their hours shorter. 450. If their hours are to be shorter, do they expect to get the same wages as they are getting now ?—Yes. 451. Would that increase the cost of production? —I do' not think so. 452. Are the machine-men on day-wages? —Yes. 453. And the truckers ?—A portion of them. 454. Are there plenty of trucks at the Denniston Mine to keep the miners going at a busy time now?—Yes. 455. Are there any to spare? —I do not care about interfering with the Denniston Mine. Ask the question generally. 456. If you do not know, say so ?—I do not know whether there are more than enough. 457. There are enough to keep them going regularly?—Yes, now. 458. Were you speaking of the Denniston Mine when you said that under certain conditions the men could not get trucks ? —Of any mine. 459. Is it true of the Denniston Mine that there are occasions when you cannot get trucks?— I do not want to single out the Denniston Mine. 460. Generally, then, the men cannot get trucks occasionally?—Sometimes they cannot get trucks. 461. Mr. Lang.] I understood you to say that the effect of this Bill would be to reduce the working-hours by half an hour a day ?—Yes, something like that. 462. Now, do not different conditions exist in different mines throughout the colony : are not some mines better and healthier to work in than others? —Yes ; I must say that is so, especially where there is a little gas. I would sooner work in a mine where there was a little gas than where there was none, because I should be looked after then. 463. Some mines are better and healthier to work in than others?—Quite so. 464. Under those circumstances, would it not be more desirable, instead of passing special legislation dealing with the hours of labour, to have the question settled by the Arbitration Court ? —-In that connection I might tell the Committee this :In 1895, when the Act came into force, we were the first to take action, and have been arguing the point ever since with the Arbitration Court, trying to get it to deal with the matter of hours. But the Court refused point-blank to do so, because the eight-hours question was before the House all the time. Judge Williams and Judge Edwards said that they would not touch the question of hours, because it was under the consideration of the Government, and an Bight Hours Bill was expected to become law. 465. Am I to understand, then, that the Arbitration Court have not dealt with the hours of labour in the mines ?—No, they have not.

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