COAL DISPUTE

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 247, 13 July 1920, Page 6

COAL DISPUTE

i —__, DEADLOCK CONTINUES , DECISION OF MINERS' FEDERATION The deadlock, between the Coal Mins Owners' Association and tho New Zealand Miners' Federation relative to tho disputes existing in several unions in the Dominion shows ho signs of lifting. In a statement supplied to the Press yesterday, the secretary of the federation (Mi. J. Arbuckle) traverses tho statement **madeby'Mr. W. Pryor on Saturday on "beliilf'of the mino owners, and he declares that the men are determined to have--their-rights—by a trial of strength if necessary. . Mr. Arbuckle's Statement. ...„...Tlie statement runs as follows:—' | , "In making this statement in reply to :....' Mr. Pryor 1 hardly need to explain again ;■ ■■ thq poiuts in dispute, as 1 aid thac in i ~■-..' my. statement which was made at the ' : time the National Disputes Committee ■failed to agree. Mr. Pryor at that timo ; -'stated that he did not care to go iuto i : .the matter then. Now that a deadlock .-Has been reached, perhaps he will stato i "'-the-; reasons, lor his companies refusing ;■ to carry out the agreement made at . conference, and explain how tho comi panies increased the price of coal to meet !-.•■. the increase grunted the miners, then j, refused to givo tho miners one penny \ ■•■ . increase, which is the case at Kiripaka. !.':-;-"Mr. Pryor is trying to make out a '.'. "' great case by stalling that they have !'••-. agreed to Mr. Hally as chairman on our I request, but I want to say right hero '-"'that the proposal submitted by the re- |. .presentatives of the miners on the Na- ;; tional Disputes Committee was nover ,s'. agreed to. Our proposal was that, we !;■■ would agree to accept the decision of a [.'■.-.'."chairman, if he was instructed to givo . his decision ajong tho lines- of the dis--1.... xussion of tho conference,, and not on ■ _tho literal interpretation of the clauso 1.. v "granting the percentage increase, because J, it is impossible for the clauso to coyer all cases, there being many different j. changes and supplementary agreements ! and new mines started sinco the war, ".:■ bo that there is no such thing as a pre- ;;■■'■ ; war basis for all mines. "Now, seeing that the owners refused [';'•■ ,tho offer made by the miners' ropresen(V.:: Natives on the National Disputes Com- ';: ~ : -.mittoe, tho matter was dropped as far )■--.. (08 they were concerned, and was referred ■, to the 1 delegates sitting in conference re- !'■' 'presenting all unions in the Dominion. >: . j.When Mr. Massey again offered to try ' 'and-bring about a settlement of the dis-' kv; putes we suggested that a conference i', '-'should meet, with Mr. Massey as chair-. j'; .man,, on Saturday. This Mr.- Massey [■'■. -agreed to arrange, and the conference was ' -'to take place'on Saturday last, at 2.30, ■: but Mr..Pryor sought to put in a pro- '-.''■ viso that the chairman must be in a i:.. position to give Ms decision on'all mat- : ters not agreed upon. This proposal ; -' . 'he made direct to us, and not to the ':'.. Prime Minister. . . ' "The conference.refused to agree, and - 'Mr. Pryor then called the conference i. off, and the present deadlock is the ■, iiiesnlt.,. It would'appear that the only ;'. . way the matters can now be settled is j , ;by atrial of strength between 'he-two -. : organisations. Tho delegates representing the unions who have received the increase have no- other alternative than, to ;.' stick by th© unions who have been de- ]'.-■ . liberately robbed of increases by the coal companies. is also a further point I vould like to make, and that is this: When ' . the February conference finished,' it was agreed that the increase w\,uld take ; place, from tho first pay starting , after the signing of tlw .igreement, and . !■■ •' - the owners were pledged to ste that all '<' i. their companies would ca r iy cut the agreement. But what do wo find? Only that the Nightcaps Company Tefused to -dp so, and.the Coal Owners' Asso'iin--ti'pn-say 'We cannot force them to pay.' , So-wo now find that it is the coal owners who have nu.control over their members ■ . and not the Miners' Federation. ■■' V,vM;''Qne other case; that of a man at U«vGreen .Island. This man received an j:,' -"injury to his leg. - -.-.' . The federation took ,np his case, and got his compensation ; (or. him. When ho was fit to return f -'to'-work he was told that he could not ;.- ; 6tarfc again unless he was prepared to ['sign away his right to compensation j ; . for any future injuries. ... I ask, are }. : : the miners going to stand for this sort [V .''of'thing? I say no, wo are not, and | -since Mr. Pryor suggests a trial of t, -,; 'Strength, then let it come,'if that is. I; : / .the only way we can got our .rights, for I'.': Vb are detwrnined to have them. .. ." | :■'■'. : 7'P.masseYstillwilling ;-.-' ' The Prime Min'istpr said yesterday that j- (he was still quite willing to act in any £.-■-.•- capacity for the settlement of tho trouble }' Eoisoon as the parties themselves had 5 come-to a decision as to what they de- |.; sired. He lind been, willing to u'nderii fakothis work all along, with the under- , }• that if the work of the session | ' t he would have to appoint Mr. j; Hnlly to act "in his stead. As in the jV;"meantime there had been no further { i'. proposal for a settlement, he was not I " concerned as a prospective arbitrator.