THE COAL TROUBLE

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 3, 29 September 1920, Page 7

THE COAL TROUBLE

A very important statement regarding the coal situation was made in the House o5 Representatives yesterday- by tho Prime Miniver. The member for Wellington South (Mr. G. Mitchell) liad asked if it .was true that tho State minere had stopped 'work again, and in reply Mr. Massey indicated- that tire Government intended to close down tho State mino if the men did not resume work again fn normal fashion. Members of the Ministry considered that the continual stoppages should not: be tolerated any longer. "I intended to make a statement to the Houso to-day regarding tho coal situation," said Mr. Massey. "This morning the following telegram came t f> me from the secretary of the Miners' Union at Runanga :— Ae 'result of the Railway Department's attitude in ordering workmen out of a first-clas3 car, and there was not sufficient accommodation in the . seat of the tfain, the men were prevented from going to work by the first train to Rewanui. Mass meeting this morning strongly protests against pin-pricking aoho-n of Railway Department, and we refuse to travel under such circumstances. (Signed) DUGGAN, Secretary. Mr. Massey added that immediately aftef receiving this telegram he asked the Railway Department and the Mines Department for reports upon the incident. He had received both the reports. The Railway Department's report was as follows:— State mine stopped to-day. Miners , deolined to proceed past Dunollio on aocount guard 6.35 a.m. train from Greymouth refusing alldw them travel first-class on seos-nd-class tickets; Train consisted two long "A" secondolass cars and ono compo "C" car. About 10 miners got into first-class compartment at Runanga, but moved out when requested to do so by guard. On arrival at Dunollie other miners , got into first-class compartment, and when informed- by guard that they would require to pay excess fare un- . less they removed to second-class coiipartment declined to go to Rowanui to work. Number cf passengers leaving Greymouth 18, and leaving Runanga 47. Guard states number leaving Dunollie would not. have ' exceeded 100, and that there was ample secondclass accommodation on train. We have had no previous ccmplaints, and manager, State mines, advises that when he has travelled there has always been ample second-class accommodation. The manager of the State coal mfc<t had telegraphed to the Under-Secretary of Mines as follows:— The mine is idle to-day. Railway guard ordered men with second-clasß tickets out of a firet-class car. They contend no otlier- accommodation. Guard says there was ample accommodation. All workmen have paid a portion of the levy. The levy mentioned, said Mr. Massey, appeared to ho the levy in aid of the Broken Hill strikers. Tho Government

had nothing to do with that. But the ! other incident was a much more serious matter. "This morning, after receiving' this telegram, I called the attention of Cabinet to what is going on/' continued the Prime Minister. "An official statement I have received from the Mines Department 6hows that last month the State mine was,idle for eight days, from the 9th to the 17th, and then again on the 30th. making nine idle days for tho month. This month the mine has been idle for different reason? on the 13th, the loth, the 21st, tho 23rd, and the 28th. I think it wilLbe admitted that this sort of thing cannot be allowed to go on much longer. I called the attention of Cabinet to it this morning, and we agreed that the Government would advise the members of the union that differences which arise between the miners at the State mine and the Railway Department do not justify stoppages of •work at the mine, and, furthor, that if tho miners do not resumo work within three days, arid if work, when resumed, is not carried on witth reasonable, expedition, all operations will cease until further notice, and the mine will in the meantime remain closed. Mr. Holland (Buller): You cut the coal oft from the people of Now Zealand to epito the miners. Mr. Massey: The coal has already been

cut off from the people of New Zealand, and very serious hardship and inconvenience has resulted. It is not merely the Government that has suffered. What the Government has suffered has beeu nothing compared to what the peoplo of the country have suffered in connection

with these stoppages. I believe that this interference with the output of coal is one of the most serious factors in the increase of tho cost of living, from which all the people have suffered. I think honourable members will admilfc that the Government has been very patient in connection with this trouble. But wo must draw tho line somewhere. We want the miners in the State mines, and perhaps other miners as well .to whom this may apply, to understand that if we do not get the supply from the coal mines of the Dominion to which we are reasonably entitled, then other arrangements will have to be made. A member: Bring the war regulations into effect. Mr. Holland (Buller) asked what action the Government intended to take against the owners of tho Pukemiro mine, who were "refusing to allow the mine to open because they want to dictate to men working in the mine which union they shall belong to." Thib applied particularly to somo engineers. Would, the Prime Minister apply the same pressure to the coal-mine owners as he proposed to do to the miners ? Mr. Massey replied that he had -no diU rect information as to what was taking place at Pukemiro. He had Tead tho statements appearing in the newspapers. He diVl not know if the fault lay with the mineownors or the miners. If the mineowners were at fault they would lie treated in just the same way as the miners. He would nsk tho Mines Department at once for a statement of tho position .it Pukemiro. If either the mineowners or the miners had broken the law action would be taken. A PROTEST MEETING. 'By TelcernDh—Prcßs Association.' Gr&ymouth, September 28. A mass meeting of tamers decided: "That we enter our strongest protest against the pin-pricking tactics of the Railway Department, and pledgo ourselves to refrain from using tho train, in future under the said circumstances."

DENNISTON MEN "DOWN TOOLS" DISPUTE REGARDING BROKEN HILL LEVY,, Although tho Huntly Miners' Union has decided upon, it resumption of work, the men at i'ukeniiro are still out, and trouble was reported again yesterday from the West Coast. The Jlate miners (who, by the way, have indicated their intention of "downing tools" once a fortnight on some pretexts which have never. been definitely made elear) took umbrage at the fact that they were not allowed to travel In firsbclasa carriages on their way to work, a;id decided to absent themselves from employment. An explanation from tho men's point of view was oonveyed in the following tolegram to tho head office of tho Miners' Federation in Wellington:— As a result of the attitude of the Railway Department in ordering workmen out of first-class carriages and thoro _waa not sufficient accommodation- in other cars, tho men wero prevented from going to work this morning. Ma£g_ meetings protested against the action of the Railway Dapartment and. refused to tr*vel ■ under sooh oircnuretancaa.

MB. MASSEY PRESENTS AN ULTIMATUM STATE MINERS MUST WORK OR-STOP ! AN IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENT

In. addition to the trouble at the State mine, information was received in Wellington that the Denniston miners idle also. Sir. J- Arbuckle, secretary of the Miners' Federation, informed a Dominion reporter that the men at Denniston had decided to refuse work because some of the other employees would not contribute to the Broken Hill strike levy. Private advice was also received in ■Wellington yesterday afternoon statin? that the Miilerton and Westport-Stock-ton mines were not working owing to the -men having gone to Wostport to attend the hearing of a Court ease there.

THE PUKEMIRO TROUBLE POSSIBILITY OP A' SETTLEMENT. In the course of a statement on behalf of the Miners' Federation with regard to the trouble at Pukemiro. Mr. Arbjicklo stated yesterday that the company had entered into an agreement which included a preference olause. That clause compelled the_ company to force all workmen to join the union. The Pukemiro Company now claimed the right to force men to join a union that had no connection 'whatever with the mining industry. "Whero an engine-drivers' union has been formed within, a mining dissaid Mr. Arbucklo, "the miners' unions have never objected to enginedrivers _ joining it. But when there is no engine-drivers' union in the district! the miners insist that engine-drivers shall join the Miners' Union. That is the nosition at Pukemiro. There is no enginedrivers' union there, and tho drivers are provided for in the agreement with the Miners' Federation. The company, consequently, is breaking both the national and local agreement." There seems to be some possibility of a settlement of tlio Pukemiro dispute, for according to private advice received in Wellington yesterday, negotiations were proceeding satisfactorily and it was anticipated that an agreement would bo reached within a very short time.

TEMPORARY SUSPENSION OF WORK AT ROTOWARU. By Telegraph—Press Association. Auckland, September 28. Work was suspended in the Rotowaru mine at 1 p.m. to-day owing to a mishap on the running rope-way preventing trucking operations. It is understood that work will be resumed to-morrow. Tho trouble at the.Pukemiro mine will be considered by a meeting of miners to-morrow morning. SERIOUS EFFECT IN AUCKLAND TRAMS STOPPED AND GAS SUPPLY TO CEASE. By TeloEra.Dh—Press Association. • Auckland, September 28. The Pukemiro miners are idle again to-day because no definite settlement of tho question now at t issue between the company and the miners has yet been made. Yesterday members of the Pukemiro Miners' Union undertook to refer the company's demands for a new clause in the agreement " to tho engine-drivers at tho mine, who are the men most directiv affected. It is reported that some of these men have not yet returned to work, so the matter lias mjt yet been finalised.

In tho meantime the Tauplri mines at Huntly and Rotowaro are working. Yesterday's output wa9 in the neighbourhood of 740 tons, and this is considered quite satisfactory for the first day's working. It is expected that this amount will be increased considerably to-day. The accumulated misfortunes attendant upon the double-barrelled coal famine are not likely to be dissipated for some time yet. No Australian coal is coming, there (will be no gas for the city after Thursday evening, and the prevailing coal position indicates that) tho city tramway service can scarcely be restored befora ten or fourteen days of enforced idleness have passed away. The resumption of the greater part of the Waikato s coal-hewing activities came just in time to save the power and electric lighting services. Supplies for the power station are very low, and the first deliveries from the Waikato will go to ensure the continued running of the plant. The Gas Company advised this morning that owing to the non-arrival of steamers expected its stocks of coal are now almost' exhausted, "and it is with regret that notice is hereby given that the supply of gas will cease from Thursday night at !) o'clock until further coal stocks arrive."

Serious disorganisation, of industry and unemployment for many workers is imminent as a . result of ■ the Gas Company's notification. Practically overy industry will be moro or less effected, save those in which machinery is electrically driven. By the end of the week most of the workers in clothing factories and in many others will be in a state of enforced idleness and will remain so until the gas supply is restored. Jlot meals will also disappear from restaurants. Adding to these troubles the complete stoppage of the tram service, it must be admitted that Auckland is faring badly as a result of the ooal mine dispute. pmchaselnliistralia THIRTY THOUSAND TONS SECURED Sydney, September 28. It is now stated that the Commonwealth Government has'.sold 30,000 tons of coal, portion of 200,000 tons at Newcastle, to New Zealand, at market rates plus freight. The Commonwealth purchased it during 1917 at 15s. a ton.— Press Assn.