The Dominion WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 1920. AN ULTIMATUM TO THE MINERS

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 3, 29 September 1920, Page 6

The Dominion WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 1920. AN ULTIMATUM TO THE MINERS

In intimating to tho men employed at tho State Coal Mino that unloss they resume work and henceforth produce coal with reasonable expedition "operations will ceaso until further notice," the Prime Minister has delivered an ultimatum which will be heartily approved by the great bulk of the public. Lobs privileged sections of tho community have far too long been helpless victims of the crippling tactics adopted by tho miners and it is more than time that they were given an opportunity of asserting and defending their rights. Whatever cost in hardship _ and _ inconvenience may bo entailed is well worth paying. Tho latest pretext offered by the State miners for stopping work bears plain witness to their cynical belief in tho inexhaustibility .of public patience. Ostensibly, they are idle because they were prevented from travelling first J class by railway when the second-class accommodation was inadequate. According to the official story, which thero is no reason to doubt, plenty of second-class accommodation -was available, and some of the miners attempted to travel first-class on a second-class fare. Even if the miners' version were accurate, however, the merits of the case would not be altered. On their own showing they regard ii trivial dispute which has nothing at all to do with their employment as a sufficient reason for depriving the_ country of coal supplies of which it stands in urgent need. In this respect and in its implied assumption that the public will submit passively to any treatment, the action of the State miners is in all respects typical of what haß gone before. Ever sinco the national agreement between mine owners and workers was concluded early this year the State miners have been foremost in violating its terms on frivolous pretexts or on none at all. Before taking tho stand' 1 now announced, the Government repeatedly made concessions to theso men which in retrospect it is difficult to justify. For instance, tho "back shift" at tho State mine has been abolished, though this means that coal production must be suspended on some davs in order that repairs formerly done at night by the "back shift" may be effeoted in tho day time. Then again, tho Government has not only adjusted train services to suit the State miners, but has subsidised their fares. To this policy of extreme concession the beneficiaries have retorted with repeated stoppages in Hat violation of ihe agreement under which they are pledged to work. On some occasions they havo not oven troubled to allege a reason for ceasing work. Most of the reasons that have been alleged have absolutely nothing to do with wages and working conditions. On the occasion of) one stoppago tho Pkimh Minister montioned that thn difference tho parties in regard to tho railway time-table amounted to fivo minutes. More than once the pretext mentioned has been tho refusal of some members of the Minors' Union to pay the Broken Hill strike levy—a levy in aid of men who have'been refusing employment for more than a year. Last month the State miners woro idle on nine working days. Up to yesterday they, had wasted live working days of the prcsont month. On the figures of normal output the aggregate stoppage of 14 days deprived tho country of more than eleven thousand tons of coal. The plain truth" is that in their unscrupulous violation of honest obligations and callous disregard of vhe rights and

wolfaro of all other sections of tko community these well-treated employees of the State have established a record.

The Pkime Minister's ultimatum, as far as it goes, is satisfactorily definite. It ought to bo made absolutely clear, however, that unless the State miners not only resume work within the stated period of grace, but entirely abandon tho policy they have lately pursued, they will be finally, disAny further weakness or temporising would be a betrayal of public interest. As much, of course, may be said in regard to the mines which aro under private control. While the State miners, the aristocrats _of the_ industry, have been conspicuous in cynically violating the national agreement and victimising the public, various other bodies of miners are only less culpable. Although the national agreement provides machinery for tho settlement of all disputes, work has been stopped repeatedly at different mines on pretexts almost as trivial, in some cases quite as triv-

ial, as those alleged by. the State miners. To-day, for instance, an 9fficial _of the Miners' Federation is credited with tho statement that the Denniston miners struck work yesterday beeauso some of their number refused to pay the Broken Hill levy. Tho news comes from another source that the Millerton and Westport-Stockton mines were idle yesterday because the men had gono_ to Westport to attend the hearing of a Court. case. Mineowners_ will study the public interest if they take as firm a stand against such stoppages as the Government has now taken in the case of the State Coal Mine. In taking stock of tho situation and in preparing for tho serious emergency that may be at hand tho -public ought to not© how facts aro distorted by some of the extremists who speak for the miners. For instance, the assertion has been made that the owners of the Pukemiro mine were attempting to dictate to the men working in that colliery which union they should belong to. A statement lately made on behalf of tho Pukemiro Company showed that its whole anxiety in the current dispute iB to ensure this continuance, in the event of a general stoppage of work, of the pumping operations which ore necessary to ♦vs'seafc tjid mine being flooded. As information stands it is solely on this ground that_ tho company has objected to eng'ine-drivers being members of the Miners' Union— surely a reasonable enough safeguard against tho wanton destruction of property. It might be the simplest solution of the difficulty to pass legislation making it a serious penal offence to interfere with or in , . £. wa y hamper the pumping which is essential in some cases to keep mines in working condition. The efforts made in this matter and others to obscure the real issue will doubtless fail. Tho people of the Dominion are only too well aware of the .vast amount of hardship, loss, and trouble occasioned deliberately and without cause by the men engaged in the coal-mining industry, and undoubtedly tho verdict of _ the great majority of the population will be that the stand bv the Government ought to have been taken long ago.