Australian Miners Clash With Authorities

Chronicle (Levin), 3 August 1948, Page 5

Australian Miners Clash With Authorities

(N.Z.P.A.-

-k &ui'et3

COpjjri'ght)

Received Monday, 7.35 p.m. • SYDNEY, Aiigiist 2. Industridi bivil-tWdi* tllrb'iighdtit « Austfiilid, looiiis fildsfe as tkfe i-e^iilt 'j of tlie clash betiyeeii the mihefs i and the authqi'ities get up by • Fedefal and Statb Gbvei'iifliehts j ;to conti'ol aiid adjtidibate iuattei-s .j aft'ecting_tlie cbalriiiniiig. indiistfy. i Siiice the Joint Coal Board of \ New South Wales. amiounced the | necesSity for sevbre re^trictioris on 1 coal eonsuhiptibii Aj. days ':agb, ; eveuis have marehed ste^idily to- ; •wards a trial of strength whieh no \v seems iiievitable. ; The stiTiggle; fpelingly describ- ( ed by corre'spondents as a "cold wai',-" is going on between the Coal Industry Tribtmal and Coal .Board on ihe one hand aiid the Miners' Federation and Central Control Couneil on the other. The Coal I ndustry • TribTihal consists of one ihaii, Mr. F. ll. Callagher, who occiipies a sup'rcme position in.the coai industry as arbitrator and conciliation 'commissioner with almost luilimited powers. The miners liad coilsiderabL 1 lfiuence in the intro-' duction of ,:streamlined" arbitration w7hieh gave Mr. Gallagher tlie powers p'reviotisly administered by the Arbitration Court and State Industrial Commission. Hn can vary awards, decide applications for the deregistration bf organisations for disolDedience of his orders, aiid ordef h fine of £100 or six months' imprisonm^nt for ahy person who refuses or fails to cbmply with a directiom giveil by hiriiself as the Tribuilai. The Joint (^oal Bbard is the organisation set np by the Federal and New South "Wales Goverbments, AVith the support of the Miners' Federatioii and miiie owners, to eontrol the industry in New South Wales. The Ceiitral Control Coltncil is composed of officferS bf the Miners ' Federation- and representatives from all New South Wales districts, Yictoria and Queensland. The ti'ouble started when the Joint Coal Board, in an attempt to reduce petty stoppages in New South AVales mines, brought ari applieation before the Tribunal for a variation of thfe provisions under whieh . rniners . ean elaim paid lio'lidays. The ihiners at'present i*eceive three weeks' paid holidays at Christiuas but paymeiit for the third week has been conditional oli tlie colitinuity of employment. The board now proposes to tighten these provisions. Deelaring "what we have ve hold," the nriners first challenged tlie right of the Joint Coal Board to make such an applieation and then stated their intention of holding a general stopwork meeting of protest against the abtiou of the Tribunal in cohsenting to liear the applicatioii. Mr. Gal lagher's feaetibn was to tell the •miners' representatives at the hearing that members of the couneil Yvere a'uiltv of a seidous crime and conspiraey in seeking to interfere with the course of dfistibe, andto demand thh n jmes; dffnlembe|?s bf ihe,, eouhcii- A#L,eS;t,the names wer4'g'iven tb him, lmi^id that any nlan in the.' S'tkte jjbutild go to a Magistrate* and" lay. ,.;a|i?information tb bring such offejfiders before a cqitrt of law.- vjg;;5 • The mineTg. riiccepLed: theJ|hal-( lenge by declahhg an intefitfbn to call stopwork meetings . ''next Thursday, in working time. Wi ! . The Bress lias .described t|iis as a **fta^bfljiattempt at blackrilhil.'f The Australian public is waiting to see whefher Mr. Galljglier.will maintain his stand and,' if!;|soj, whether the Federal and Sfate Governments Will' offer him praetical support.. ■