HUNTLY COAL DISPUTE

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 309, 23 September 1920, Page 5

HUNTLY COAL DISPUTE

0 ■.NO-SETTLEMENT BEACHED YET. . The executive of the Miners' Federation sat again all 'day yesterday to discuss tho strike at the coal mines. Mr.' J. Arbuckle, secretary of the Federation, stated to a Dominion reporter that, up to'the present, he had nothing to report. There are possibilities of the coal mines throughout the Dominion beocming involved if the strike at Pukeir.iro and Rotowaru -is not settled, as Mr, Arbuckle 'stated a few days ago that the men in the other mines had pledged themselves to stand l>y the members of the Huntly Union. If no agreement is reached soon regarding the dispnte in the noTth, it is feared that the position generally will become serious. CONCILIATION COMMISSIONER TO VISIT DISTRICT. Mr P. Hally, who was to have gone north to investigate the Huntly dispute 011 behalf of the Government, has delayed in the South Island, and the Prime' Minister has instructed the Auckland' Conciliation Commissioner to proceed :to. the/mining district. In tho meantime no new development has-been reported to the Government. The miners now on strike have not approached the Government directly. The position in the South Island is also unchanged. The State miners are not working, but production is proceeding at most of the other mines. auchland'slerious plight TRAMS MAY. STOP ON SATURDAY. By Telegraph—Press Aisoolatlon. Auckland, September 22. Owing to the shortage of coal the tramway services will almost certainly have to cease running on Saturday, while iindustries and householders lire already seriously inconvenienced. The Mayor stated this morning that the councils efforts to obtain supplies of coal from shipments arriving to-day had been futile, as he had received the following message from the Prime Minister explaining the Railway Department's inability to acceed to tho corporation's request for a loan of ,1000 tons of coal: "Replying to your telegram, have made careful inquiries regarding your request for the loan of 1000 tons of coal from the railways, but regret that present position of their stocks renders this impracticable. I have made further -urgent representations, however, to the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth urging that instructions be given for immediate lelease of coal for vessels awaiting cargoes at Newcastle for New Zealand, and will advise you of tho position. on receipt of a reply. Meantime eveiy possible effort mil bo made to secure supplies for the city's activities. A reply was also received by tho Mayor from the General Manager of Railways conveving the-inability af the Railway Department to release coal for loan to the city The head of the Department most directly concerned with the fuel position for the Auckland railways suggested tho possibility of another railway cut in the near future. The Auckland railways ate in a'position to carry on for some time yet with tho supplies of coke and Newcastle and Jtount Kerabla coat , now aSh! but it is the general opinion in tho yards that unless conditions niter for the better very quickly on almost immediate "cut" will have to be brought into operation to conserve supplies.