COAL MINES TROUBLE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 282, 17 August 1918, Page 6

COAL MINES TROUBLE

UNDER CONSIDERATION BY CABINET. The situation which' has arisen out of the dispute between the coal miners and tho coal owners threatens to become a. serious one for the Dominion, and to this extent the Government-.is interested in tho development, of tho trouble. The. matter is at present engaging'the attention of Cabinet. In the meantime the Board of Trade has in lilnd the investigation into the whole matter of the supply- pf coal for consumption, and the prices charged for it to domestic and other consumers. It is expected that the board will shortly submit an interim rV port, but tho final report on the conclusio.i of the inquiry cannot be ready for some littlo lime. •. ' •■.-.-■■ STATEMENT BY MR. SEMPLE. , By Telegraph—Prc6S Association. Weitport, August IG. ■ In a statement made, to the Westport "Times" to-day' Mr. Sjemple said the coal miners of New Zealand had expressed an opinion by ballot, -the. purport of which he did not at present know. Tho result of the ballot would be made known to tho general public in a few days' time. He had been right through this* Dominion, ami from what he had' seen, and fi om what ho .knew privately, he had not the slightest. doubt, but that tho miners would do the right tiling. It had been asserted by the Coal Own,ers'. Association that a small coterie of union officials headed off matters ( in Wellington, but the' ballot now taken , by the miners would show that the miner was quilft prepared, and fully qualified, to mind his own business. Industrial unions were composed of men who knew what they were talking about. Mr. Semple wanted it to be particularly emphasised that no matter what the result of the ballot the men would still be quite prepared to leavo the mat--ter in dispute open to the public for settlemen. Ho felt fully convinced, after fifteen years' travelling among the miners, that they were solid on all matters, they took in hand, and .in the matter of a conference. .they were solid almost to i>, man. The miners sincerely, at heart wished tho Cabinet would do the right •thing and avoid an industrial crisis. 'Hie cry of the miner in the present time was: "Argue- instead of fight." The position was now as he had stated it, and it devolved upon ■ the Cabinet and other authorities to do all that was humanly possible to avoid the conflict which was looming.