COAL MINERS.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17121, 16 April 1921, Page 9

COAL MINERS.

CONFERENCE between owners • AND MEN. (PBISS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM.) j WELLINGTON, April 15. The wages ;md conditions which .shall ynle in the Now Zealand coalmining industry are onco again lrtider review. To'day o conference commenced between jepresuntatives of tho Goal Mine Qtniers' Association and til-. 1 Aimers' federation for tho purpose of considering the latter's demands for a new agreement to replace the national agr;:oment which expired recently, after having been in operation for one year. Those present were —Representing the Jlirie Owners' Association, Messrs W. Reece ( Wcstpori-StocktonMining Co.), Robert Leo (flew Zealand Coal and Oil Company), Colonel \\\ D- Holgate (Northern Hikurangi and »\ ilson s Colliery Companies). \Valter Leiteh (Mouut Torlesse Collieries, Ltd.), Edward S. Tfifeht' (l'ukomiro Collieries, Ltd.), J. C. JBinn (Westport Coal Co.), W! Handysido (.Nightcaps Collieries, Ltd.), X yid T. 0. Bishop (acting-secretayy of Association); representing the Miners' ' federation, Messrs T. O'Rourke (president), J. Meßride (vice-president), J. . O'Brien CXorth Island), W. Braidwood (South Island), W. Bn-ldorstono (Grey 'district), F. Grant (Buller district), And J, Arbuckle (secretary)i Mr A. : H. Kimbell, .Under-Secretary for Mines, present, but not as. a delegate. ' some discussion it was agreed that ' ho should act as chairman. . In reply to tho chairman, Mr O'Rourke said soven hours per day had t been conceded in Australia. No coalminers anywhere had bf.'en conceded.a fortnight's holiday. :■ Mr Arbucldo said that the officials 'and staff of the mining companies wero gjven a fortnight's holiday on full pay •efich year. Bank clerks, too, wero given'a holiday, but such consideration >vas never given to miners. -.Mr O'Rourke nsked why a fortnight's holiday on.pgy should not bo conceded. * Mr Reece said it was a question of ' 'iW*" _ '; MrjD'Rourko: Then the owners' pro- ' fits' tome before the .minors' health. A ■ pfth who wOrlcs underground for twelve jnontfis is surely entitled to that holiWight (Pukemiro), in the course pfiii, statement, Baid it was entirely at tho miners' option to go into mines to ( [iit coal. There was nothing in the awof tho country to compel a miner to ■go into n mine. . Mi; Arbuckle: There is the economic , must go into the mine or ' V statvo. ■ . ■ '' ;i./Mr Wight referred to tho allegation . ijfls to tools'at cost price. These, were 'ybeing provided in the' Waikato -nines Is had. taken time, for .the tools had to W bought in England. Continuing, Mr Wight said that if the, six-hour day were tried in the Taupiri Extended ' ' mine the men wouldnot be four hours at the face. ' Mr Arbuckle suggested that the syst tem of transport should do modernised. It waß not economical to ; transport men fen the endless rope/system. 1' Mr Wright proceeded to l say that' there was -10 per cent, of absenteeism v from work at the lace. ; Mr Balderstone: ,That's duo to your own n6gligence..\. • • •• . : ' Mr Wight submitted that it was ; .voluntary absenteeism; i'he»meri at the Pukemiro mine, if they worked the time available for them, could eatn per ; ' yetay. •,'• ; ■ ■ ." ' •-Mfr Arbuckle: Taking the tim© of the ' lcsM>ut and; half-days / l<tet. and sot ' iorthP, .. . j • Mr Wight: Taking the time avail 7 ' ! able,. - *I will give you figures. Th& ■ general average earnings for miners at. Pukomiro mine were 80s 4d per shift. -'The' 3 mine .was open'for work for 260 y«disaotf ! the^S&r.' ! - J--MrArbUokM: You' ; 9ay2GO days. Does ( that include the three they were • lo6keß outP ' "'Mi" Wight: Yes.. 'I say themine was '" openvfor work f0r,'260 days/and tho \' h • or miners Were 80s 4d per shift. Multiply thetwoaMyou get £4OO p6r year. Mr Arbuckle: Yon state that the . average'earned per shift Was 30s 4d.; / Will you tell us now many .men earned . ■ wider £1 per shift P \ Mr Wight said he was not afraid to • ' give the whole of the figures in his pos--1 session.' For the y'ear 1920 the mine was actually open for 215J days. The ' minfl wits closea for, the following reaspas: Three days on account of a rail-, p.way strike ' three, days owing • to a shortage' 6f etfilosives, ,*o award holij 42] days owing to a strike of r*'ihgs, 1| daiys'. owing to a shortage of Vr Waggons, half a day owing to a ma- ' ,i chinery accident, 26 days (pay Satur-. days), and 52 Sundays. • , Arhiickle strongly oojected to the that 42 days were , ]6st as a' f, result of a strike. 1 The men might have -y^strike, tot 21-daysu Mr Wight, resuming his statement, I <Wd-that-78 miners wera employed on idj'the Waikato ittinesi They <?f("Voiced shifts, at an • average abift.'of, 24s 10d "including ten p&lJreeKft go-slow, when the averace earned sTiift was only 15s Bid. v The total wis 49, days, in the year', and men hod worked normally whenw»9 nilne was open, they could Bjivo filmed an average of 80s 4d per &f;day, or £T 17s 4d per week all the &ye«vround. .- . , i'.fA'.Mr Arbuckle; A very high average. « The- dificuseion then turned on thei of^the 1 Huntly strike last year, Mr Wight said was a result or • refusal of: tho Government or the fejScompaijy • to .pay the difference between Suburban fares and ordinary fares of fanners going to work. The union did pptoitt <fa?o ivhether the mine filled with ps&tß- or wtiter, therefore the company that the pump-rfien and engineshould belong to the MinFederation. Work resumed ' when the 'Federatioil (gave an under|y istandiiig that pulping and yentilation p.would continue in,the event of further ir'jtixstible. ' Mr Arbuckle: You got no such un--4 -,derstanding from this Minors' Federa- } tion. » Mr Wight: I bqlievo.we did. I say so in any case. if.l am wrong, very • well. - «s. i Mr, O'Brien made a statement that > the union did not' call out pump and ; ventilation workers at Huntly. j ~ To this Mr Wight heatedlv replied , that Mr O'Brien was not telling tho H , truth. If statements such as that s 'Wore made, it seemed to bo useless to V, go on With the discussion. Colonel Holgijto said: Mr O'Rourke had painted a graphic picture of men -i crippled in the mines. He was fairly familiar with the mines in-the North, V and could combat'this, and could give „ instances that thero was np more risk J ,m working in a coalmine than on a tramcar. Surely the proposal for a j£, six-hour, day was not made seriously. V[lt would rum .the industry. The price J of coal already was very high,- and J woujd have to come dovvn. A miners* represents live: ICot, at the ispense of the miners. f Colimel Holgate said a six-hour day 7,1; Would lull the industry. A miners' representative: It has no? killed it in Germany. J-.]' Mr O'Rourke put down Colonel Hol- «/' gate's statements to his. innocence. If is*-the price of coal had to come down, *A\> let tno owners reduce it out of their &•' profits, - or send representatives abroad M to find out how to handle coal in big Kg quantities. v If conditions about , the gamines were improved, more men' would gfebe available,to-.work in them. Ths ®fOwners .had made pie-crust promises pi'which had not been fulfilled.- Miners aphid left the and Were working \tho wharves, arid iir the bush. Arbuckle said conditions ill ■ the

New Zealand mipes were tho worst in tho world. Tho miners wanted their hours reduced tho samo as others. He would like to sec set up an independent tribunal consisting of a workers' representative, an owner's' representative, and a Government representative. | Mr Brown said that if a five-iJays week was granted the men would want to work less than that;. A miners' representative claimed that miners were entitled to payment for holiday:;, just tho same as State servants. | The-Conference adjourned till 10 a.m. to-morrow. NO PROGRESS MADE. ALLEGED EVILS OF MINING. (special to "the pisess."; WELLINGTON. April 10. lU-pretefftatives of tho coal-owners and coal-miners sat «in conference day Avithout making any progress. Tim confcrenco was open to the l'ress, and it wa.i a mere wranglo most of thetime. The miners' demands arc before the Conference, but tho mine-owners have not yet presented their counteri proposals. The parties will meet again to-inorrow morning. Mr O'Rourke, for tlio niiners ; said | that the proposal for tho abolition of the contract system was the crux of the situation. Everybody who had any knowledge, of mining was aware that tho contract system or piece-work. system was responsible for 90 nor cent, of tho ills that existed in "tho coalmining industry. Any mining camp contained specimens of tho human derelicts that the industry produced. Nearly all tho men employed in the coal mines were under fifty years of age. Men working under tne contract system took unnecessary risks, since their wages depended upon the amount of coal that' they produced. Such ailments as rheumatism, bronchitis, and consumption attacked many of tne men. The whole community was dependent on the work of tho coalminer, and tho miners .contended that they- were entitled 60. tho best conditions .possible. If the contract svateni were abolished and tho miners wero given'a minimum of £0 per week they could work at l&is speed- than ufidor the piece-rate system, and the health of t)he mining community would then be much better than Under present conditions. The industry had no right to demamj that any man should sacrifice one hour of his lite by working under unhealthy conditions. The 6ix-nour day, continued Mr O'Rourke, would fee a step in the betterment of conditions at tho coal mines The shorter tho .working; hours of t)ho men engaged in the mining industry the better for all concerned. Men in. other industries would not consent to forego the Btinshine and tie fresh air for eight or nine ihours a day. Lord Jollicoe, after visiting a mine recently,, had remarked that something would have to be done to ameliorate the conditions of the miners. The miner?, stated Mr O'Rourke, would be able to produce enough coal in about four hours'a day if the management was pre pared to provide proper facilities for handling tine coal and getting it away. More men could then be employed, .and the miner, would be able to spend moro time in the sunshine.. enjoy his home, and cultivato a garden. The demand for a fortnight's holiday in each year on full pay l was entirely reasonable. Other .workers were getting an annual 'holiday on pay. It was true that a miner coul-1 take a holiday whenever he liked now, but he lost a day's pay for each day's holiday, and the pay would.mount to 18s, 20s,' or 255. He was sure that the mining companies, with-the prices now -rulyig for coal, could afford to mako the concession. Then, thß miners were demanding free tools, liglits, and OKplosivesJ The old, agreement. stipulated that tho -employers should provide these, things at cost price, but-tne agreement had not been kept fully in flmt respect. Mr < O'Rourke'. added that: the miner3 r .would like ,to Ihear what the other side had: to say; '. ' ■The chairman said ho would prefer that the miners should exhaust their case before the mine-owners replied. Mr-O'Rourke: There is no question of exhausting our case. Wo are prepared to sit here for three months. We will leave it at that for the present. - Mr Reece, speaking for the mineowners, said that Mr O'Rourke had not contributed anything to the settlement of the matters in dispute." He had suggested that the mining districts were full of broken-down men, but that Was not the case. The fiiinors were a very strong and lusty lot of men. He»did ndt belioVe that the coal miner i worked under ' Specially dangerous conditions. Tho- regulations provided for the maintenance of safe conditions. The minors were experienced' men, and the deputies saw that the regulations were observed. Very many of the men employed at the minos were on day wages, arid did not have to work at the. high speed described by Mr O'Rourko. Statistics showed that tlio occupation, of the coal-mi tier was not particularly deleterious. They, showed that the carpenters' occupation was more deleterious than the miners' occupation. 1 Coal-mining was not really an occupation. He was surprised -that- a proposal, for a six-hour day, involving a big reduction in production, should be brought, forward under present conditions. ' The miners were perfectly well aware that many of the mines would have : to charge increased prices for' coal if a six-hour day were adopted. If the six-hour day was to b» calculated from bank to bank the actual time worked &t the faco would be only 4.0r 4§ hours in very many cases. The granting of the proposed annual holiday would bte merely a nlatter of adding the; charge to the* cost of coal.. Ho did not think that the miners earned so little that they could not afford to take holidays. In fact, he knew that many of them had money in the savings bank, and good luck to them. -Mr O'Rourko had not given tho conference any facts or figures in ?up-' port />f the demands that the minors were'making. • The mine-owners had not come prepared \rith any mass of material to bo given to tho Press. They had come to hear the miners' argument and reply to them. The miners' delegates Continued to make general statements, and they had tho floor most of the day. Tho conference adjourned without having done anything towards a settlement of the dispute.