COAL POSITION SERIOUS

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 8, 5 October 1920, Page 7

COAL POSITION SERIOUS

PUKEMIRO ENGINE-DRIVERS OWNERS' OFFER REJECTED ULTIMATUM FROM FEDERATION The offer made by the oxccutivo of the Coal Mine Owners' Association with a view to arriving at sorno means of settling th<j coal dispute, has been rejected by the' Pukemiro -Miners' Union, and the general position in the coal industry .is now considered to bo acute. The proposal' made by the employers was that tho Miners' Federation and the Pukelniro 'Miners' Union should give an undertaking in writing, to be embodied in a supplementary agreement, that in the event of'any dispute or stoppage of work in tile' mine, the engine-drivers should Hot on any pretext whatever refuse to .perform any duties nccessary in connection with, pumping operations or the .•ventilation of the mine. This offer was made as a qualified acceptance of _ the_. miners' demand that the engine-drivers should remain members of the Miners' Union. Mr. J. Arbuckle, secretary of the Miners' federation, informed a Dominion Je|>orter yesterday afternoon that the members of the Pukemiro Miners' Union diad definitely decided that they would ,aot accept the coal owners' proposals for e settlement of the. dispute. "It is oontended, and rightly so," said Mr. Arbuckle, "that the national agreement must be adhered to. Of course, tho owners have stated that tho union in thb •first plac« has broken the agreement by stopping work ou several occasions, but the same, remark applies to the owners. 3,' he national agreement had not been in existeni/O a week before the 'owners ot the Pukemiro mine broke it by breaking the contract they had entered into regarding truckers,, and, further, by refusing to pay them the'increased wages from the date that the national agree-, ment came into foroe.' They did not pay the wages until forced to do so -through the Disputes Committee, The national conference decided on an _ increase of 25 per-cent, to cover all piccerato workers. At Pukemiro the truokers were due for the increased rate, but, instead, tho company, broke the contract and started paying the men day wagea 'A peripd of a fortnight or so elapsed before the Disputes Committee decided thai the piecework rates must bo paid. The union in the present instance offered to return to work and this dispute In the hands of the Disputes Committee to deal with in the same way as was done with the other dispute, but the company refused. The position is simSly this: There is no other option for ic federation than to (support the Pukeimrotnen in their attitude. They must be supported, because their demand is in compliance-with the provisions of the national agreement. lam leaving the thing ODen to the owners until to-mor-row morning, and if they are not prepared to abide by the terms of the national agreement, then wo will have to net so as to force the issue." In reply_ to a question, Mr. Arbncklo said that it would not be necessary to call the executive of the Miners' Federation together to decide what action should be taken. Coal Vessels In Port. At' the present time there are several coal ves.-eis in port, held up owing to . the trouble on the wharves. The vessels are the Karamu with coal for the ;gasworks), the IComata, the Roberto FiRur.'ip (with coal for the railways), and tho Kanna. Th'e two laßt-mentioned vessel* are'loaded with Newcastle coal. STATE "OWNERSHIP ~Wr. REMEDY FOR . STRIKES. ]}.\. Thacker (Christchurch East) suggested in the House that the Prime Minister should "consider the desirability of tiikinc over for national purposes for two years or more all the coal mines and collieries in the Dominion, as was done with meat-ships and clothing factories during the war, and, let. contracts to present owners and other co-operatiVe bodies of miners to supply full fluantities of coal per month, and at prices and bonuses to induce miners to resume their prior occupation. Tho Wellington City Council," said Dr. Thacker, "had •miida an excellent start in this direction with its Semple water-supply tunnel contract." "There have been as many industrial 'difficulties in the State coal mines as in othw mines throughout the Dominion," said Mr. Massey, in reply, "and the Government do not consider that nationalisation of coal mines would bo any improvement on the existing system—in some respects very much the roverae." THE WAIKATO MINES 'AUCKLAND FEELING THE PINCH. By Telegranh—Press Association. Auckland, October 4. Tho minors at tho Huntly and Roto•warn mines are now working -steadily. Up to the present, however, the maximum output has not been reached. Last week the output was 750 tons per day,' as compared with 1000 tons before the strike No settlement of the Pukemiro dispute was reached to-day. . Auckland is still without trams or gas, and many people are unemployed. One of the principal firms .of confectioners >has had to give notico to 100 hands, and other manufacturing firms are cutting dov.n their staffs. Neither tramway nor gai services will resume this week. A CALL TO ACTION FARMERS PROMISE GOVERNMENT THEIR SUPPORT. By Telegraph-PreßS ABSooIatlon." Hawera, October 4. The Hawera branch of the Farmers' Unilon unanimously passed the following mcticn:—"ln view of the present disturbed and extremely unsatisfactory industrial situation of tho Dominion this meeting of members of the Hawera branch of the New Zealand Farmers' • Union desires to remind the Government that it has -been placed In power to take complete chnrge of nffaiVs in this country, and that the country is looking to it to so effectively deal with the presont siuation as to bring to a finality the constant unrest that has been for so long paralysing the industries of the Dominion; and, -further, that this meeting assures the Government it will loyally support it in whatover action it deems necessary to tako in order to serve the, best interests of tho country." i CHRISTCHURCIfSTOCKS VEPY LOW ■ MUCH UNEMPLOYMENT LIKELY. By Teleera'ih—Proas Assootntlnn. Christchurch, October 4. . 'Within tho next fortnißht a great number of people now employed in Christchurch will bo out of work unless fresh coal supplies arrivo in ths mcanwhiSe, and there is little prosjxict of such relief. This is tho opinion of Mr. Jenkin. president of the Canterbury Industrial Association, after making speoial inquiries regarding coal supplies. Tho answers he received were pro .ticallyoall to the same effect, namely, that stocks were perilously low, and that a' serious crisif was rapidly approaching. Iffr. Jenkin stated to-day tliaL there were approximately ten days' supply of coal in Christchurch for industrial purposes. Those establishments not connected with the Lake Coleridge power simply would have ro option but to put off many of their employees at tho oml of that time, failing the arrival of more coal. AN OUTSPOKEN MINER "TIME TO EFFECT A CHANGE." Tlm Waikato minors' strike was referred to on Friday by several miners ongaged in the Rotowaro initae. Tho general opinion of thoso with whom tho matter was discussed was that it was an unsatisfactory business, says an Auckland paper. One miner more outspoken than the rest, when asked if the union could not prevert strikes, said: "What can we do when we don't get a M.yP If any of na were to try to gtofl a strlka ire wold