WAIKATO COAL STRIKE

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 305, 18 September 1920, Page 6

WAIKATO COAL STRIKE

REPLY TO MINERS' UNION.

By TeleeraDh-PrcßS Association, i Auckland, September 17. A reply to the statement issued' on Thursday, on beluvlf of this Huntly Miners'. Union was made by Mr. E. S. Wight, managing director of the Puke-' uiiro'Collieries, limited. Mr. Wight said he was pleased to know that the company had no dispute with its men, and he endorsed the statement by Mr. Lindwall, secretary to the union, and Mr. Smith, member of the Rotowaro branch of the union, that the cessation of work at the mines was owing to the dispute between the Railway Department and the union. • With reference to tha statement that Pukemiro township was three miles from the mine, and the road was one of tho worst it was possible to imagine, Mr. Wight) said the extreme distance was H miles, and could be walked in from '20 to 25 minutes. There "was a well-formed footpath all the way, which had been nietalled, and covered with ashes. It became a little "sloppy" in places in bad weather, but improvements were being effected all the time. The union representatives said that 40 per, cent, of the workers resided at the township, and the balance at Huntly. The correct figures were that 27 per cent, were living in Hunfiy.' As had been stated before, die company was prepared to carry on without this quota, but many of them had preferred working at Pukemiro owing to tho better pay and conditions prevailing. It was admitted by Messrs. Lindwall. and Smith, that many miners own their own homes at Pukemiro. Wv. Wight said that to enable the miners to do this the company surveyed ithe township, and sold J-acre sections at .£3O each, and also assisted tho workers with monetary loans to build. Fivo availed themselves of the opportunity of the purchase of land for the township. Tho survey of sections, and the formation and dedication of streets had cost (he company a great deal more money than tho sale of sections would ever produce. The company had provided 20 houses, and had three more in course of construction. There were also six comfortable bach huts for single men, built in tho early days of the company. In addit'on to this, tilio lessors surveyed the entire property into farmlets, which had been acquired by the workers, and houses built on them. In regard to the allegation that a fair percentage of boys wcro travelling by tram and working for ss. a day. Mr. W ighfe said that at Pukemiro the lowest wage paid to any bov, from U to 15 years old, was 7s. 4d. a dav, and at this rate.there were only two, both of them living at Pukemiro. The rext highest rale was fc Gd. a dav for bovs from 15 to to 16 years old, and boys cf that age working underground «ro paid 10s. n. day. Only a month ago, Mr. Wieht addon, a new scale of pnvments came into operaHon, which made a coal hewer's general average earnings for the fortnight, ended \u»ust 27, 30s. GUI. per man per shitt. The lowest average for a pair of men for the fortnight was £3s. 7d. per man per shift, and the highest 4fls. 11M. -