MORE TROUBLE

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3064, 27 April 1917, Page 6

MORE TROUBLE

WORK STOPPED AT STATE COAL MINES PROTEST AGAINST RAILWAY REGULATIONS ]3y Telegraph—Press ABSocdatitm. Creymouth, April 26. All work at the State mines is suspended to-day as a protest agaiiist the now regulations in regard to workmen's tickets available between Riunanga and Dunolly to the Rewanui mine. Formerly these tickets were available for a fortnight; now tickets issued to expire on May 8 expire on Satoirdny next, April 28, ihe Railway. Department giving no guarantee as to future conditions. THE RAILWAY TICKETS WHAT THE GRIEVANCE IS. The grievance of the men regarding the railway tickets on which they travel to work is not by any means a serious one: The "ticket used is a worker's twelve-trip card. Before the Department entered upon its staff-saving scheme these tickets were available for a fortnight, but in order to simplify the ticket-checking system, to make it possible for more of tho work to be undertaken by inexperienced persons, a jiew regulation was adopted limiting the availability of tho ticket to one week—from Monday till Saturday'. The cost of the 'ticket is not increased. Dnder tho old scheme, however, if a man succeeded in escaping the' notice of tho guard of the train, ha saved his fare for that journey. Under the new arrangement it will not make any difference whether the ticket is punched of not. It is also a fact that miners did not always go to work. If a man does not go to work now every day be will not save his train fare, whereas under the old system he did save it; In these ways it can happen that train travelling will cost the men a few pence more per week. The cost of the ticket used by the State miners is four shillings per week, and the distance travelled por day is fourteen miles. This week the men were on strike for two days of the week, so that they will have to pay four shillings for the remaining four days of the week. They will be paying a shilling a day instead of eightpence a day.

STATEMENT BY SIR JAMES ALLEN EXPECTS MEN TO GO BACK TO-DAY. Sir James Allen, referring to tho subject last night, said that ho believed tho men were going back this morning, and he hoped they were. He did not know what were tho rights and wrongs of this ticket question, but lie thought that surely the men could seek redress of_ any such grievance, real or supposed, without ceasing work and limiting the output of coal when it was so urgently needed. MINERS' EXECUTIVE DECISION INSIST ON REGULATIONS BEING ALTERED. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Creymouth, April 26. The Runango- Miners' Executive was in touch with Wellington to-day, and held a mcotine to-night, and decided that the men would not resume work to-morrow unless the Railway Department's attitude regarding workers' tickets is changed. WAIKATO .MINES WORKING WAIPA MEN RESUME TO-DAY. By" Telegraph.—Press Association. Auckland, April 26. Work is now proceeding at all mines in tho Waikato. Tho miners at Waipa are resuming to-day after being on strike since April 16. conferencFarranged MINISTERS 'MEET MINE OWNERS..

The Acting-Prime Minister and .the Minister- of Mines met representatives of tuo mine-owners on Wednesday and Thursday, and discusßed with them tho question of having another conferenoe with the miners regarding wages and working conditions, and Sir James ATien stated last evening that a conference would be held. The last conference hold some weeks ago proved abortive. The men asked for increases in wages of 17} per cent., in addition to the war honus already being paid to them of 10 per cent., and for certain other concessions in working conditions.- Aβ was stated by counsel for the Crown in the Court proceedings against union officials charged with breaches, of the War Regulations, the cost of mining coal would have been increased by 43 per cent, if these concessions had been granted. The own: era did not grant them, hut offered instead a war bonus of five per cent to the piece-work men who hew coal, and of 7i per cent, to shift-men, these bonuses to be in addition to the existing bonus of 10 per cent. It was one of the conditions of the agreement between the Ministers and tho miners that the Government would ask the mine-owners to meet the unions again, within a fortnight of tlie work. Tho mine-owners have now agreed to this conference, and unless things go wrong it will be held within the prescribed time.