THE COAL TROUBLE

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 4, 30 September 1920, Page 5

THE COAL TROUBLE

FURTHER REFERENCE IN PARLIAMENT

LABOUR LEADER MAKES COMPLAINTS

MR. MASSES'S EXPLANATION

The trouble at the coal mines wn» mentioned again in tho House of Re presentatives yesterday. The mattox was raised by Mr. H. E. Holland (Butler), who asked permission to put a question to the Prime Minister. Mr; Holland said that he wished to bring under the notice of the'' Prime llinister the position at threo of the mines. At the Taratu the national agreement had been accepted by the mine owners and the miners, and 6ome matters in, dispute with respect to wages were referred ..to a disputes committee. This committee referred the matters to Mr. Hally for decision. Mr. Hally gave his deoision in favour of the miners, said Mr. Holland, but although that decision was given some time ago, tho owners so far had refused to pay the increases except in the case? of some blacksmiths. The minors at Taratu wero still at work, although there was considerable dissatisfaction and unrest. The position at the Pukomiro mino was that the national agreement had been accepted by the parties. This agreement contained a preference clause, which meant that the men employed at the mino must nil be members of tho union. Thero was no en-gine-drivers'. nnion at Pukemiro, and the engine drivers employed aFTlie mino were included in the agreement. Butthe mino owners/were insisting now that tho engine drivers should not bolong- to the miners' union, but should join a union in another centre.

At this stago the Hon. W. Noswortliy raised a point of order. He objected to the member for. Btiller making a long statement in the guise of a question. of which no notice had been given to any members of tho Government. The Speaker stated that dn putting a question without notice a member must "be as concise as possible." The member was not entitled to make _ state* ments except in brief explanation of the question. . Mr. Holland, continuing; said that the position was very serious, and he was trying merely to give the Prime Minister as briefly as possible, the information in his possession. ' The Pukomiro mino was idle because of action taken by the employers against thb •workers In breach of tho agreement'. Definite information ' regarding the trouble at.,tho State mine was that for some time the miners when travelling to work had been using the first-class carriajre if there was no second-class accommodation available. The Railway Department appeared now to have given definite instructions to the guard of tire train that this must not be allowed, and the guard was properly obeying his instructions. When the men in <he first-class carriage on, Tuesday' morning were told that they must pay first-class fares, tliey refused and were put off the train at D'unollie. All the other; miners on the train also got off. They said that if they were required to stand on' the journey they would not travel. "The miners believe that' all these things constitute pin-pricting for the purpose of nrwipitntiiig trouble at the mines," said Mr. Holland. "Will the Prime Minister cause close investigation to be made into each of these questions? I will not mention other eases, since the Minister of Agriculture obiecfe. .Bur there aro Dlenty of other casf»s I could mention. I ask tbk Prime Minister if he will have each of these three cases investigated with a view to ascertaining whether there_ is cnncijrted action, with a .view of precipitating an industrial conflict in tho mining industry—a conflict which could only result in a. general conflicfc throughout the Dominion. " The Prime Minister said thqt hte would leply to tlilj questions 'as clearly as he could. The information he hiul received regarding the dispute at the State mino was that the men had travelled in a firstclass' carriacj; with second-class tickets, and had refused to pay first-class fares. He had received ronorts on the subject from the Railway Department and the Mines Department, and he was assured by both the Departments "that there had been plenty of second-class accommodation on the train, Mr. Holland: If the me<n stood up. Mr. Massey: Sitting acoominodation. Mr. Holland: The men say not. Mr. Wilford (Hutt): What about putting on another carriage? The Prime Minister there would be no difficulty About providing another carriage if it was needed. Instructions had 'been giv(>.n that sufficient accommodation was to be provided. He was informed officially that there, had not been more than 100 miners on the train and that there had beian sitting accommodation In the 6econd-class carriages for 112 men. The Pultemiro. mine, continued tho Prime Minister, was idle that day, but hq was informed that in all probability the difficulty would be got over and the men would resume work "the next day. His information was not official. The miners had. stopped work at Pukemiro on account of a grievance that hp would not express an opinion. about. Their dispute was with the Railway Department. The union called out the engine-drivers at tho (ami time. ' The engine-drivers were members of the Miners'union, but ho was informed that a of the agreement gave the engine-drivers the right to choo& whether they would belong to the Miners Union or to the Auckland Engine-drivers Union. The Miners' Union had refused to allow this option to be exorcised. He understood, though he had received no official information that the mine owners wqtb eaying Bovr that tls&y- could pot havo a repetition of tho Tcoent trouble, when the"'mine was in danger of being flooded because ths engine-drivers were called out ■when the* miners had a dispute with tnie Railway Department. The mine owners wore insisting that the engina-drrvers ehould have the right to say to which union they would belong. The' dispute at Taratu had not been serious.' Mr. Hally had been sent by tlfe Government to endeavour to 'bring about a settlement, and he:had bean successful. If the mine owners had failed to- comply with the terms of tho agreement mado by Mr. Hally they would bo in the wrong. The agreement ought to put into full affect. Ho could not imagine that there was anything seriouslyjvrong at Taratu. WORK AT STATE MINES RESUMED By Teleerapli—Press AhboclrHoti. Greymoiith, September 29. The secretary r.f tho State Miners' Union has received a telegram from the Prime Minister to tho elTcct that if the miners did rot resumo work within three days, and if work, when resumed, wcro not carried <n with "reasonable expedition.," all loporations would cease until further notice, and tbe mines in tho meantime would remain closed. The Mfeneis" :.lfaion to-day considered Mr. Massey's ultimatum, and decided to tako no action. The State mines wore working to-day as usual. It is < nnounced that the dispute over the Broken Ilill levy has beca settled satisfactorily to the union. The Union complains that in to-day's mfneTs' lijrailn seventeen men had to stand on the .carriage platforms, which they were prevented from doing on Tuesday, owing to tho wet weather. Had these men to-day demanded seats in tbe •lirstylafis aecommodaitjioni which was locked, it would hove had to bo thrown open to them. . " IRRITATION AT STATE MINE REASONS FOR ITS ADOPTION. The State miners who absented themselves from work on Tuesday because of some alleged grievance regarding accommodation en the train travelling to Bewanui commenced work again yesterday. The statement was mado a few days ago that the Steto minors intended to pursue an "irritation" policy by striking for several days in each fortnight, and it h/\s been assumed that the men have been actuated by n desire to cornel the Government to restore oiril rights

to military shirkers who have been connoted and disfranchised for ten years.

In conversation with a Dominion reporter yesterday, Mr. J. Arbuckle, secretary of tlio Minors' Federation, stated that the question of tho treatment accorded to conscientious objectors had nothing to do with' tho fortnightly strikes lit tho State mine. Although tho whole of the miners wore dissatisfied over the treatment of conscientious objectors, and whilo in the futuro something might bt> dono in their bohalf, at the present time the men in the State mine were striking periodically a.s a protest against the management continuing to employ men -who refused, to contribute to the Broken Hill strike levy. Recently, men who had been engaged on some surface work at tho State mine, and who had beon pitying the Broken Hill levy, had been dismissed, while others who had been employed on tho same worlc, but who had not paid the levy, wero. kept on. "The men who refus'e to pay the Broken Hill levy receive all the concessions that tho other men obtain," added Mr. Arbuckle, "but they will not pay their dues. Tho othor men object to working with who won't pay their dues, and they simply strike as a protest."

PUKEMIRO MINE STILL IDLE

OFFER BY THE MEN DECLINED,

By Telegraph—Press . Association. Auckland, September 29. ■A full day was worked to-day by tho men at tho Extended mine, Huntly, and Oho Rotownru mine. The Pukomiro Coal Company's mine, however, is still idle. The union objects to tho company's proposal that tho engine-drivers should have the option of joining the Huntlj- cr Auckland Engine-drivers' Unions instead, of remaining members of the Miners' Union. Tho minors met yesterday, and subsequently a deputation waited on the mine manager and said that the men would resume to-morrow if the matter were ofilce in Auckland, and was instructed to decline the request. "We insist that the engine-drivers shall lie permitted to sever their connection with tho Miners Union/' said the managing; director for Hie company, "otherwise tho safety of the mine is endangered so long as the engine-drivers are at the dictation of tho miners." EFFECT IN AUCKLAND CITY. Auckland, September 29. Tho, position in regard to tho city tramways and electrical station remains unaltered. Tho small supplies of Huntly coal allocated to the City Council are being divided between the electrical station and the tramway power-house. The I'ublio Services Committee of tho City Council will meet on Saturday to consider the position. From present indications it will be well on into next week, if then, before the tramway service is resumed. To-day motor vehicle owners again did brisk business in carrying workers to,and from tho city, while the races at Avondale provided them with an additional source of revenue. The gas will bo out off from nino o'clock to-mor-row evening as previously announced, and great hardship will, result, as hundreds of housewives are dependent on gas fitovra for cooking. Added to this, there is a ehortogo of firewood Jflid coal for house* hold purposes, and of lamps, candles, and kerosene for lighting. Many who rely on gas for cocking are constructing temporary fireplaces fitted to- burn wood. Many restaurants depending on gas for cooking will 01060 down. Tho railway services have been strengthened by another extra train to convey suburban peoplo to business