THE COAL TROUBLE

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 304, 17 September 1920, Page 8

THE COAL TROUBLE

MR. MASSEY'S PROTEST

TIRED OF CONTINUAL STOPPAGES

SOME INFLUENCE AT WORK

When the Huntly mines dispute was being discussed in. the House of Representatives the other day Mr. Massey stated he had been told that one of the mining companies litid provided homes, which tkb miners had refused to occupy. Mr. W. E. Parry (Auckland Central) asked in the House yesterday if the Prime Minister's statement had been based upon official or upon unofficial information. He had received a telegram from the secretary of the Huntly Miners' Union stating that the housing accommodation at Pukeiniro was sufficient for ouly 40 per cent, of the workers, while there were homes at liotowaru for only 10 per cent, of the workers.

Mr. Massey replied that Ms information had not como from an official of the Government. He believed that its source had been thoroughly reliable. Another question of tho same point came from Mr. P. Fraser (Wellington Central), and in the course of his reply the Prime Minister made a general reference to thie. coal dispute in the north. "The whole country is getting tired of the continual stoppages of work at the coal mines," said Mr. Massey. A chorus of "Hear, hear," came from the House. "I have during the last six months done cvervtMng possible to make matters run easily and smoothly for both the coal miners and the people of the country, but I am sorry to have to say that up .to the present the indications suggest 1 have not been particularly successful. It seems to me that a lot of tho work I have done has been practically thrown away. It is evident that there is some influence behind what has been going on at the mines. I have been informed on tbi*. very best authority that the great majority of the miners nre thoroughly loval, patriotic, and sensible men, and 1 believe that to bo the case. But they seem to be in tho hands of a minority whoso influence is bad as regards both tin miners and the Country. Mr. Massey added that the prospects of a settlement in the northern mines looked brighter to-day than they did hrejjtj-four hours earlier. He hoped that the dispute would soon be settled and that the Dominion would 1m able to get from its own inin«s the coal it required.

TnE NORTHERN DISPUTE STATEMENT BY UNION REPEESENTATIVES. By Tolegrnnh-PreFs Association.. Auckland, September IG. A meeting of the coal miners who have been on strike since September 6 was held at Huntly to-day. At the close of the meeting, the following statement *m issued by Messrs. A. Lindwall (secretary of the Huntly Miners' Union) and M. Smith (member of the Eotowaro branch of the union);- . "So many conflicting reports having appeared in the Press, we, official representatives of Huntly and Eotowaro, wish to place before the public the position simply as it is. When the Huntly and Eotowaro mines were first opened the miners made representations to the General Manager of Railways for. a.better train service and reduction in train lares on the lines of suburban rates, and.after a great deal of effort on the part of the miners; the Railway Department flatly refused the request. The position on this line with respect to Eotowaro and Pukemiro is not what the public is led to believe. The Prime 'Minister recently made a statement, in the Houso that suburban rates were granted in the four great centres for the purpose of pre- | venting overcrowding in the cities, and to induce workers to reside in the country. We wish to state that at the present time suburban rates are in vogue on the Henderson line, where hundreds of brick, tile and pottery workers travel fromHlie city to New Lynn and Avondale and back to the city on suburban rotes. AVe claim that there are no facilities with respect to accommodation for workers to live atEotowaro or Pukemiro. TlnfPukemiro mine is 'situated eight miles from Huntly, and Pukemiro township is three miles from tho mine, ,with one of the worst roads to travel 'it is possible to imagine. Forty per cent, of the workers engaged at Pukemiro are living at the township, and the rest live, at Huntly, and travel to and from their work. The managing director of the Pukemiro Company recently made a statement to tho Prpss that the company was prepared to work the mine with the miners residing at Pukemiro township. The managing director knows auite well that all the available accommodation is taxed to the utmost. He does not state to the public that his company has built only ten houses for miners to live in. The rest of tho houses at Pukemiro are owned by miners. If Mr, E. Wight would build more and talk less there would, perhaps, be a litt'i> more comfort, for the .miners working at Pukemiro in future. Rotowaro is situated six miles from Huntly. At this place there are only twelve houses and these are all occupied. The company lias a few more in course of erection. For these houses the miners pay Ins a week rent. There is no storo and no school, and the miners' wives have rn come to Huntly to do their shopping. If they require any little parcels to he sent to them, the Railway Department charges 6d. per parcel. So it will be readily seen that t!*re is no inducement for minors to tako their families to tics imaginary township. Only 10 per cent, of the workers employed at Eotowaro can live there under present conditions. There is a failpercentage of boys travelling on this line who work at the mine for ss. a. day. These boys working at Pukemiro have to work practically one day each week to Day for 'their weekly ticket.' If a worker uses his weekly ticket on Monday and falls sick or meets with an accident on Tuesday, the surrender valuo is nil. The Prime Minister stated that the dispute is between tho coal company and the union. We state that tho dispute is between the Railway Department and the union. Wo are simply asking for the same workers' rates as are granted in every other part of the Dominion, that is, suburban rates. Some time ago, when the unions mentioned were fixing their local agreements, the Hon. E. W. Alison agreed to place this matter before the Government with the object of preventing any stoppage of work. He practically assured the union representatives that this would meet with tho favourable consideration of the Government. However, nothing lias eventuated. Wo miners have no desire to cease work at any time, as we "realise that we suffer along with the rest of the community, but when grievances are shelved for indefinite periods the workers naturally become restless and discontented, and eventually,'go the whole hog.' It has appeared in the Press that the Huntly miners are clamouring for n 6ecret ballot for tho purposo of deciding whether the present action should be continued. At a mass meeting held tiday the opportunity of a secret ballot was held out to all members, but no members wished for a secret ballot to be taken. On the other hand, it. was unanimously decided to leave the matter in the hands of the Miners' Federation, and loyally to stand by the federation in whatever action it deems necessary to end the present dispute." | THE WAIKATO STRIKE I RAILWAY CONCESSIONS EEFUSED j The dispute at the Waikato coal mines has not yet been settled. Mr. J. ArI buckle, secrotary of tho Coal Miners' Federation, informed a Dominion reporter yesterday that he had interviewed tlio Prime Minister, and Mr. Massey had intimated that tho Government could not seo its way clear to grant to the men the railway cojicessiona asked for. Tho owners had "also refused to pay extra rates to the men for railway travelling.

"As tho miners throughout Now Zealand have pledged themselves to support tho Huntly and Pukemiro unions, the executive of Jim federation will ba called together on Monday to deal with tho situation," added Mr. .Arbuckle. The number of men who wished to avail themselves of railway concessions was about 200. Thoso men were forced to live in Huntly and fcravol by train to

their work because there were no vacant houses at Pukemiro or Rotowaru for them to reside in. Tho statement of tho mine managers that the men refused to live in the houses that were built for them at Pukemiro and Rotoivaru was therefore incorrect,