REEETGN TROUBLE

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1465, 13 June 1912, Page 4

REEETGN TROUBLE

..."il; OWNER'S SIDE. THE TRUTH ABOUT THE DRILLS. -union,, dictation;-/ ■ jNcw-'iZcalaiii knowj gf nef Unit'thove is (funning im« in Jjsol'ton, ainl tint'. it has sirme-. 'thintf to ■tip'' with .single-handed -pepper ' . •I'W'i-s Association U-lograms b.'ivo- . I!ca i>y! ; i t '>i' 1 ': !rilla tio')i-:'Jut': : they,ska vojfj.;.; beer, somewhat hjli.-ut as to certain meriis •..-. " g,;?froni'' time; to?;. ! i. ■Unic, (hat tl>o iuoJing pi the. lowu?pe ipio '.' there is >troi!g)y in hnoui-'rf iho, miners. .■■ } 110 « 'hereby kft 10.l 0 . draw the : niierciiie Ibal. rapacious companies;*'wok-' |..oss. of the Vilely ot life raul limb, : are :• xjrying lo get .them to "do something: that is unreasonable.. But..thorn, is: another side U< tho case, and this j s , i lel . 0 .. sl.'ted -by Mr. A; \\ inter Dvans, General of ida'tcd : : G old j'l-'iclds' ■■ - JM., which the l'l-ogress,. Hiack- " pa[tli:of::Xation,s-:nnnosV at--.-:- 1 iieeffoiy ;Mr. Jjv.iKS'i.s'in at present, -dir. his wisy • to, Waijii ..tii. atU-r.il the conference between mine-ow'aers and ■ l!io l-'cdcnition. of; Labour.'-' N' Domination of the "Red Tie" Brigade. . : })'i>hv.: they Miners':,-: Union" ail' i.ectlon.. is dominated by ■ the. ; r< d-tio ' .brigado;' A; Tew monthsago £;contract® ilaboiir- svas;allowed there. for. development : 'i work, but not: for sloping,' and it had to j.-bwalmnttoned oil-.account:.of' breach; of . the' psrt':of.:tlio;iijiioii.:...The de- „■> itails afa intricate,.. and- need' not": bo hero is that i tho,; unioa'-S£ terms- of t he'verba 1 [.agreements:between ... theitvj representatively .■andj-the.> manager, and the" company could .[no: longer agres.ta.be bound by it.i'-Theijx.--.the,;- union, members worked, out. all th« contracts,';i and:..would'- tako ; no. more./; .::: ■ When the Wauflh Drill came. . It .was shortly before:, this.' trouble' <' ■ that,..the new Waugh drill -was intrumiced by the management (or tl.o obvious purp«> of making wcrki;.iug;:.casief and; faster/" and working» exS'zf penses■' low.' Tlio drill is a - one-mani-i?: machine, but the men were naturally su&; : picious of those, first put dn commission, aud;the prejudice had to b» overcome.

1 .. It wns very soon proved to tlioiu, how. } " sever,'that ■ tho new contrivance saved '. 2 labour for men at the lace, and, tthen' s" ..the first prejudice was overcome, tins.". } 'miners did good work with it. ■ I'or a time,' )■ however, two men were-Itft to work the;'. i drills, so . that they should become thoroughly familiar with them. . • C So soon as the men. thoroughly under- .: 1 : 'stood, them, winch,the management calcu-"j i. lated was about May 17 lost, the following;; : 'notice was posted at the shaft-head of eacF j. .-' . hum at 3.o'clock in the afternoon;— .' The Fateful Notice. .{ : %£,. ; "Hammer drills now having-'. been' S, i given a trial to enable men to become . 1; proficient in handling saino, on- and.,, rs.; . i: after May 18, 1!>12, these drills are bo worked single-handed... Men work-'jjJV if' ing theso machines will, take their : places as usual until arrangements arsytv, :' &!mado; for the. redistribution, 0f... the.; r« j?, working faces*' When those 1 ;---ments are complete, the manager or-y.:< ■-' shift boss will allot to cacii iuan hie ' ; ,working face."., ■■■..■■ ■ Tho shift below came up at 4 o'clock,, 'on the 17th May, and at 6 a.m. on the' " 18th • the ■ strike commenced.; v. . All : this was told by Mr. Winter Evans-'. in a discursive talk with a DoMftcic-S ror: J porter yesterday, from now on MiyjJ • llvans. must tell his own story:- . ; Describing the Drill. :jf;-"Thesfl new' drills are the simplest pos« Visible-to operate,'; be-slid.*' "llw totel.» • '.weight of "a machine jS only 72-pounas, Sand'-tiie turiiiisg-oii.ofi.tho air..will rig fciriliViip ready, fori v work;. :? The • man. .. working tho drill, bears no weight; . is no weight-'for.'him to-carry, and the::'. diameter, of tho telescopic' drill which !!««;; holds is only three inches./ Now,- w«<g-. haveprovided stands for the water-hose,;.;. so that ..the jet nsay .be kept continually. " J playing- on' the liolo made by the ■ ami, ~, ■arid there, is absolutely nothing left.for-a second man to do at the face, lhese stands .lot the water jets were - never,;,.. . tried by the men, so that they cannot say \ that thev arc not efficient. ■_ ft; The old typo of. reciprocating machine, ii few of which were used before the ad--:.v«nt.. 0f... tho Waugli 'drills, weighed with... • - allaccessories, -JO'Jlb., and tho small*., esbweiaht required to ba lifted, before it-..;:,-:, could lie moved to start another hole was •'3oolb:f* or. 1501b. (of each - of two;men, as against 721b. for the'single man.:.-. ,; needed to drive the'new drill. "From tho very'outset of the trouble. after the notice was posted, we have been approached by neither the executive of j,;;: 'tho Miners' Union, nor by the men them-.- ■' selves, with a view to discussing the mate.,". ' tor.-and arriving ot a. settlement. ■; \J %*»• -immediately placed Uie matterin- the hands of the (told Mine Owners' lion,' and- any negotiations in regard; ft::. tho matter. will. have to'. bo.i conducted..;. ■ ll;ror.;.:!i the association. * i-,' "That is the reason why the Gom .Mmo ... Owners' Association has insisted upon the;;..;, federation discussing the differences at.;■..,, Reofton,- as well as at V ailn, at tho forthcoming conference., ;. , The Union Took a Hand "When it was first ■ proposed to>orl£ jf '. these drills "single-handed, several; of the. ;.,,. . men-expressed their willingness to take.the work on shift-wages, but said thev'would have to refer the matter to the' union. Tho first news wo got ot the , union's decision was a newspaper .report .. -. to'the..effect that the union had-met two . night, previously, and earricd_ a- resolu-.. ; tioni protesting against • the; innovation. ;• - f _ After:this tho men refused to. work- th» machines single-handed, snynig-.vhav they, .;. ~s-. could not go against the union; .' ~' " -This machine is designed to 'up u <>i h pl '. . j>y olio man, and it- is so-worked in tlie ■' iUn'ited States;- in Canada'; .in feouth Amen, ■ and iii- Mexico, and.,.they, .avo also: rnrtw ' .single; : ]iaitcicd-;iiilthe, Olira ; .Tunnel.^'tlt. , •\vas : .in:j ordor- . one-nin u..- : ivsaoiu ne -: and los>en ih« ot" .working, that, wo . vi' had -to-intraduco lhe:n. ? ir-:<>?■ i:-i- ? the;use' of ■ having",un.(o : diil9 t aiachim-s if v c avo not going -.to .make '•! fu11..u.-o'oi them:- The more wo can. . vßessen : working cost,.the.greater quantity '■l/of-'i poor grade ore-we can work, mid.wa rf Swaitt.'- to."open' up ore bodies that, ltay# ■ -been,unpayable m tho It wo could, - p!it. a large.- tannage throitgli, nioi'e,mcn.; , - i'would bo employed than nt lnejent. It w^,could get these machines u\lo ; proper ■working^order, 1. am sure Jhat .. .... ■ --tecu - months' time wo woiijd have from': ' 100 to ISO of them at work in tho Ijeetton. . , isold: • W'c have never., had nioro than W : . , iineii". on tho old iuflchinc>s {two for enchxr..:, v:. ' and-now', wo luivo nfl' of -'iIK.. lie^', : . ; • <insaddition• to.:o#. 20.01 d. tj-po machines; , ; .iTlie, employment s .of .i) 0". or.-100 extra maeh-. ii'.e-mcn m'-ans that there will ;be - a,}-,, , ! ;greater ■ outpu!, necessitating; areater ; i!e-. : . ■ i ;ve!o})inent. t .\voi'lv.to.{opoiij_jsp. j :■ iiip... intiv.diuoii. as. (lt-.-;ivd. together,.,,, .. ' Avilh : coiitracti!igi.cn!j.a ; pwpewMsiv;ln«<v-.. W ioldMniningMiHluslry;-:!!!,..lJeefton .«:p ll kij.'. i ii Use labour. ..<hmU\. 1«>. available, r.«'i * 1 -■ . ';;Oi-d wases, •'ili'-U-a.i :'o!-. awu.t KKi- as.-.at .. : .'-pi;ffei:i(.i;v : ;jS-C; : ': 1 V-i ' ■'' : ; NDangclo;Ji|^eti .s st All ' yh'atSth(viaeifiiiiCuiv ; danirer.luujomg ■iilbmy"nt--theirs.laces.;;;,. 1 lie. fir-I Jlfas a*;..; : l ii-inef. fh.Hild iio when., lie ceis to .his iae® his to siir.nl his -r.y.d", and.ho has mi mi.-!-. until his r.H'C is. sale. . in tho M-i.nid .place, it ■wnsjjv 1 ; lievi.r tiio ir.ii".i!ion' •>! tho oempany to;;;-.,.;; Mnsist'.-.-iipon ;■ men'..working, the. <lriii-s oa«:. il'isolated faces., awav. from other nwkers. I'Thejo drills are used only in t.ho slopes «*••„£•>}} ■Vises and Biero arc always other \viu4;ci«. t?;'; itnear tlw face timbering or Bliovelliug, fati-any. time to. give.'assistance in cas.» : .'of. : dan"ger.. -..Tho. conipanios are not itoint 5(o ,:lai<o tho .risk of allowing men to Jticcause it would increase the risks under' ?l>v; tliemsolv«vs, if for no other reason Uian-,« ■ tho.; Workers'. Compensation Act, whioli ' -risks'tho companion carry |.ho»»4l\m f , This states tlm er.so briefly, Jfr. 'lvvans',pleaded it on behalf of the min« "owners. One tiling he jwcpoMo to .io («), 'illlike good his oas-o—lio ptxuxw h.»v» .one,,of .the. now 'drills sent hi Wollawtou :?$•?: .a;ul io jlivo a public.exliibition cf \v>t ono -uiau can work it, ■