THE COAL DISPUTE

Dominion, 14 March 1919, Page 6

THE COAL DISPUTE

A settlement reached MEN TO BE REINSTATED A conference between the members of the executive of the New Zealand Coal Aline Owners' Association and the New Zealand Miners' Federation, which was held iir Wellington yesterday, at the suggestion of the Hon. AV. D. S. MacDonftl.l, Minister of Mines, was attended by Sir George Clifford and Messrs. AV. ~ Recce, T. Sliailer AA'eston, AV. A. Flavell, rj and Arnaud M'Kellar, representing the ; Mine Owners' Association, and Jlessrs. S O'Rcurke, O'Brien, AVilliams, Balderstone, and Glover, representing the Min- ~ era' Federation. The Minister (Hon. AV. D. S. MacDonaldi opened the conference, and said that * the directors of tho Blackball Compauy had agreed to his suggestion that tho matter of tho reinstatement of tho re-cently-dismissed men should lie referred to thu two exeoutives for consideration, rj and expressed the hopo that an amicable settlement would result. A settlement was arrived at on the fol- j lowing terms: "In view of its being con- r coded by the New Zealand Miners Fed- j eration that the action of the men which n caused their dismissal at Blackball was j a mistake on their part ir. regard to the t agreements existing, and therefore the dismissal did not amount in any sense to ( victimisation, as has been publicly fll- s leged, the Blackball Company agrees to ( reinstato the dismissed miners as from i Monday next, March 17." e l