DEADLOCK LIKELY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1483, 4 July 1912, Page 5

DEADLOCK LIKELY.

AT THE OTAGO COAL MINES. (By TolcEraph.-Pross Association.) ' Dunedin, Julv 3. Jlio portion with regard to the Ola ~ coal-mining industry is critical,and (lieu will bo no surprise if a crisis occurs iiiiy day tl\is week. The r«lcralimi Union have submitted demands lo tho vnriou, mine-owners, together with a request lor n coiilorence. To-day representatives of Urn Knitangata Coal Company's directorate visited Jvailangiuo, to meet representatives of ho J'yderation Union. It is stated that llio directors aro willing to discuss llio fliiestion of tho fixing up of an .vrccincut, but only on condition that such agreement shall como under the binding jurisdiction of the Arbitral ion Court As only a very small section of llio JJrara and Southland minors favour arbitration, a deadlock teems practically lnevilublo, J

Ihe directors and manager cf the Kai. •inga a Co.il Company to-day visited Kaitangala, and held conferences with tho iepn"H3italivcs of the registered vr.ion mid tho bnuHi of' the Federation o; Jjiiljoiir. iho point, discussed was whcthei tho directors could recogniso llio latLeU l.ody, wluJi had presented a draft agreeineiit (o govern conditions after the expiry ol the old award on .Tuno 00. Tho miners ore. divided into three •".'"I!'"' ! ■J;*'^r.-iliuiii^ls p " "Arbitration, tits, mid Uail-sittors.*-' The first-named claim 180 tniiineiil members, the second claim "about 100," and (ho balance' of .)20 employees take no side. The "Arbitrationisls' are registered under the law of tho laud, and have presented a refereiico to govern the whole of (he v.orkors. ihis the "Fedorationists" object to, alleging that the "Arbitral! - -mists" form only a small minority. Their own demands aro larger. After full consultation, tlie directors took tho view that the company cculd not work under two systems, and has no option but to recognise (ho registered union. This is tantamount to a refusal U. enter inlo ou agreement with tho "lederalionisls." Whether thev will strike at present is doubtful, but they intend protesting, when tho case conies before the Arbitration Court, that the registered union is only a-small minority, and must not bind the majority. A- strike will depend on tho Jecisi'in of' that point.