THE POSITION AT WAIHI.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1640, 6 January 1913, Page 4

THE POSITION AT WAIHI.

TOWN j SLOWLY-. RECOVERING . Little has been heard about: Wailii fof eomo weeks pact. Calm has followed tho industrial storm, and vory gradually too affairs of the town are working back f.o a normal condition, ' ■ • ' Mr. Nlsbet M'ltobie, late editor of the Wailii "Telegraph" (which paper! had a rather troublous time during the prolonged Btriko), states that it will tiko some time for the plnco to rccovor,' but slowly matters aro shaping that Way, There aro about 400 men working in tho Waihi Company's mine es against 1500 at tho time of tho strike, but that is not becauso of any difficulty in getting men; ' it is rather on acoount of the lower levels of tho mine being flooded, and the process of unwaterine—now proceeding satisfactorily—will tako eomo oonslacrablo time.' Consequently men cannot bo employed in tho lowor levol6 yet, and thoso that aro at work are engaged in breaking down big reserves of ore in tho uppsr levels. Tho company is exercising great, care in tho men that aro being taken on. Every mail taken on has to be a member of the union (which is registered undtr the Arbitration Act), nnd any men who wero actiTo spirits in tho Red Federation' ranlts have difficulty in getting on the books of tho union. This, it is felt, has to be the caso owing to tho inonifold risks men working below the ground may bo subjected to at tho hands of others. Tho ( men now working in tho mino .are a - eplondid lot,,and aro giving '& good aocount of, themselves. _ ■ ; The Junction mine, which taps tlio Martha reef on a lowor level than that of the Wailii Company, hits also mado good progress with tho unwatofing operations, atd Bhould soon bo ready to take on more mon. " ' " ' ' ' Tlio town is vfiry quiet ilidood, but trado is.slowly increasing* and in a few tooro mont'hs it should bo th« Samo prosperous little town that it was before tlie trouble.