MINING TROUBLE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 413, 23 January 1909, Page 5

MINING TROUBLE.

' > THE CRISIS AT HONTLY. ; ; ENGINE-DRIVERS NOT TO BE GALLED -.-■,.■ ■;,:• r. ;, ;•--'" ;.•;'; OUT. '■.;.■■ ■.-..-•■: SFiATTIT^ 'I '_V : . ;'(BT rCttiORiSS—TRSSB ASSOCIATION.) L r "; ;• • - ; Huntly,' January 22. * ■"A _ new' aspect is pirfc upon affairs in connection with the struggle:,between the Taupiri Company and the Huntly coal-ininers by the announcement made by the union officials to-day that they do not intond to call out the engine-drivers'. ••; The-latter are' engaged .in keeping the pumps going, and it was thought; until now'that if the trouble was not settled' -by-' to-morrow the engine-driverß would bo called out and the mines flooded. The union, however, /declares against breaking the law, ■ consequently should, the company withdraw : the pump's the onus will bo upon it to prove that'such action is not a-breach of the Act. ;The.:secretary".'of the union : goes so\ far- as: to say that if an attempt Js made to force them to call out the engine!drivers the members of the executive will most likely resign. It is contended.firmly, by' the union officials- that the men of: Huntly are not on strike, and are not likely to be prosecuted in that' connection,, seeing; that they were dismissed without notice on December .31, and were therefore,no longer in the company's' employ. . - : , . "■_ . -.

.; As to' the assistance of other: anions,'. Mr. Manning/, the secretary of .the -' "Waikato Union, expressed the conviction that, it" may legally, be given. . : . ~•.. :.'.'We are not. strikers,"-.he .says,.. "but simply men in distress who would be the recipients of-tjie charity of the other unions." It is. denied by the union executive that, the .minority ,in. favour of resuming,, work is growing,' and-: it-is asserted" that ■ only; two - men are connected with that -movement. The executive in short claims to have the support pf-the union generally. ■-

. .Messrs.: Davis and Long, labour deputies from Auckland.; went back to-day. They stated .before leaving .that'tho Waikato Union.had only: to say the word and; they; would get all the assistance they' required; moral and financial.' Every unionist would be" with them. _- ' .'. ■?. . .

: : Thereis no ."sign .of-, fpvrdiness and.further, developments are in abeyance pending the visitof the Minister for Mines t-o-night. ; :'■. -

, POSITION STILL SERIOUS. ;' . .r,'.,, ; A 'STRIKE PROCESSION. : \;, ;,; - ..iDT'TEIEGEAPn—SPECIAL COIIKESrONDEKT.) ',"-'■. ": V. : '■■:'■ Auckland, January 22.-v In .accordance with the assertion of the •Miners' TJnion officials that no aotion ''; will be-.takeh: before ..Saturday,:-everything, is, f cjuietat'.Hnntly,-nevertheless .the position in' , just as serious,; and:it -is. evident -.that. the ■gravity .of the . situation is .fully. impressing ■ .itself;upon the men. : . ; ';:! ■.'■ ' ■/;■ ■■ ;l'he company yesterday gave an indication of; the course;of action it. is prepared to pur-'. *sue ; by bringing to the surface,of thei mine the .horses which have not seen, daylight, for. years. "This proceeding was watched by .a .great .number, of men in silence, and thore : . : was evidence, that'they were .somewhat :.sur-":. prised at/the. company's apparent intention "of'preparing for a long cessation of work. .The heart: seemed _to some extent. ■ igbne". but'iof thoi crowd;, and thougbvat : .4 'o'clock procession'took place it.was poorly 'attended,-; and there was little br'.no enthusiasm displayed.. At the same time' it ■must be remembered - that, the day was very, hot ■: and; the •' roads dusty, conditions ; which . .were .hardly; conducive to 'any exhibition in--voMng/imusual .exertion;.;' Furthermore, i the union officials have' the men remarkably well I ..in-hand,, aid'while strike processions are organised, anyi. suggestion: of hoodlumisur is ■ '.strongly discountenanced. ..■ |:■ .- '.There is a feeling amongst the business 'people !bf Huritly,'however, that: someof the : mTncrs 'are inclined to take up a conciliatory ; attitude, and 'it", is: freely -stated;: that if a -secret-- ballot' can possibly be taken the strike 'will"assuredly bo'-at:'an\end,'.This suggestion' : is' emphaticallyjdcriied by the union officials, who/state that the .union will stand as.oile miin 'to'the^demands which have been made;;and absolutely-refuse any, compromise. :> Tho-strike processions held earlier in: the. '■ weeFwer&'attended'by'as'mahy.as. 250 peo- ; .'pie?-,but, that;, which eventuated -this: after- . | upon';, numbered: less .than'loo.' A _ dozen • -wbmeh-, bearing a Waner on which was painted the sign of the skull and. crcssbones,the words "Death and. g\ory.," and,a iblack; stocking oearing the :ivords' "Down with'the blacklegs.';. Another 'bore"a.bannerette,on which was'painted a; :- : ToostDr-,-and the- words. "While-we live we'll crow.'.' ' ."What's the -rooster:for?" _ asked one ■■'woman; :a's ishe caught'sight of this -pennant \'~- : "Toi'liickvOnt".the.eyes of the'black'- ' 'legs."i<«as 'the reply- vouchsafed, and with similar-'.':, pleasantry ',■' the. -" crowd... ■ swept down ■.:' the'" dusty • road ■ in' . the directio'n'.; of''".the 'residence' of .one. of the alleged" blacklegs." A brass band _of 'some 1 , half-dozen instruments: : accompanied ihem, and after- marching a' mile they reached 'the. .homo of.one'of the ."assistant deputies whose-: is - demanded:.". Immediately 1 , ftpnn;arrival, the'women.set.un shrill shrieks ; itfd.'grbansV and the men boe-liooed a little. : - There': is- a'persistent rumour that, the imembprs'of the.union:.'are Lot a hapoy fatndifficult Vtb 'get. any ..of the :mefl. :to..talk iipon the subject ; :but''the imnression prevails very, strongly that many of. the. 1 men arfi ; anxious.toget back'to work. 'More than •half the miners are married, and. have their /homes'jat .Huiitlv.. and. the 'strike .is.a thmc.'t'o them.':' Itiß tenortcd that. secret rnpctings are, being: .held t-n.eonsidef.thebest 'mparis- : Af- , .coming''t.o. a", soli'tion of. ; the difficultv. nu'd'whefeas'ottly vfttpdat last' ■,TiiesdaV7's'.'mass me'stins: against the strike,; '. 'jth,o. 'belief.'now'.exists that, a . great many jhWo are'desirbu'S'of returning to work. .

INTENTIONB. ; : THEiNEWCOTJNciL OF CONCILIATION. AssbaiTios.)/ '• '■- ;V ,'.'....; Auckland) January 22.: "" ? An»important, 'development' in . connection with the miniugdisrjute at Huntly took place to-day;. During the past-few;days, although no public-mention has been made of tho mat: ter,'- the.'..company has been ■ considering whether it .was possible to get the dispute •settled b'y. law. : .Legal-advice-'was? taken on tlio"subjecti"atid : tho directors", as-a result, we're" advisefl'that;the .proper course to pursue was "-to refer the matter'to the new Connoil; of Conciliation. :The' directors have ;ac-; cordingly idecidedi'.tp-'do .this, and the .necessary' application ■ will bo .made tp-morrow burning.;;v;>->.i'-; ; ; : •';■■%' '-:-- :

" THE LATEST. STATEMENT BY THE HON. H. M'KENZIE. ~ BASIS OF SETTLEMENT ARRIVED AT. (BY TELEGEAM—rRESS ASSOCIATION.) Huntly, January 22. Tito Minister for Mines (the Hon. R. M'Kenzio) arrived in Huntly to-night. Ho had a conference;'with the union's executive which lasted nearly two hours. At its con* elusion the Minister said;— . "I found tho men in a very reasonable i framo of mind, and a basis of settlement has .boon arrived at with thom which will lmvo to bo submitted to the members of the union and to tho directors of v tho l'aupiri Coal Company. Pressed to state what the proposed basis of settlement was, Mr. M'Konzie declined to reply. He stated, however, that tho proposal omanotod from himself as Minister for Mines. ■ "I cannot state what it is," he said, "until both sides hare ngreod to it. If they do ngreo there is a strong probability of an early settlement of this dispute being arrived at. The union will call a general meet- ~ iug of its mombers, I understand, for the morning when tho proposition I have pub forward bo put to the Voto. I am satisfied that we are in a fair way to a settlement. All the members of tho executive to whom I submitted my proposal wore in tho ond pleased, with it. By tho time I left them thoy wore-all agreed to tho proposal.

As far as the men are concerned we can, I am confident, arrange the trouble. If tho, 1 duectors are as reasonable'as tho men are tho dispute can bo settled."',, . . In further conversation the' Sinister said tho present troublo had never come boforo Cabinet. "The matter at issue'was* not one in which tho Government could interfere, the Taupiri mino being freehold,property. I Regarding a statement telegraphed from ' Wellington that ho was coming to Huntly to bring pressure to bear upon the four alleged , . blacklegs to resign, the Minister stated that this was not in accordance wifn fact at all. "As Minister for, Mines," ho said, "I can negotiate between- tho 'parties, hut I can bring no pressuro to bear."' Mr. M'Kenzie leaves in the'morning for Hamilton and Fr'ankton, and returns bore by' tho afternoon train. By that time the union ' will have held a mass meeting, and a second conference will then take place between him and the executive of tho union. In the mqan- .. time a reply is expected to bo to hand from tho company, as to whother or not they will agree to the Minister's proposal for a settlement. If both parties aro in agreement the 1 men may soon be at work again. _ * ' Inquiries made after interviewing the Minister as to the probable, lines of settlement were fruitless as far as any definite information was concerned, but there is reason to beliove that the'basis of tho proposal,put before tho parties is that a sort of board, or commission, should be.set up, t consisting of two representatives of each side, .with an ' - ' arbitrator. Failing an agreement as to the , arbitrator, it mayl)o that tho Minister him-, self will act. _ ... Pending the decision-of the commission, it is possible that tho men may resume work. There has been nothing in tho way of demonstration, hut a procession'to-night, during which two of the alleged ''blacklegs' I wore subjected to a littlo pleasantry and a i trifle of "boohing." On the whole, tho ti-1 dorliness of the men out.of work has been, and still is, a notablo featuro of tho struggle.

■ ALL QUIET ON THE WEST-COAST. . • ' , tor TiLEOUArn—ruESi assdcution.) Westport, January 22. Hours of work under the bank-to-bank law ■ , lave beta mutually arranged in a satisfac- « tory manner between tho management of the Westport Coal Company and representatives of tho Donniston Miners' Union. The relations betweon the company and its employees at Denniston and Granity are of a most amicable character. No date has yet been fixed for tho introduction of the medical examinations at'tho Stockton Company's Ngakawau Colliery.