COAL TROUBLE AGAIN

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 20, 19 October 1920, Page 7

COAL TROUBLE AGAIN

PUKEMIRO MINERS FAIL TO START ■ i REPORTED HITCH OVER SETTLEMENT "WORK OF TWO OR THREE EXTREMISTS" POSITION REVIEWED BY MR. HALLY Contrary to expectations, work was not resumed at the Pukemifo mine yesterday, intimation to this effect having been received: in Wellington during the morning from the Pukemiro Collieries, Ltd.. as follows :— Work not resumed. Hitch respeet- • ing endorsement agreement by Ar-' u buckle. ' Union meeting this morning. On Wednesday a resolution was adopted by the Pukeiniro Miners' Union, ■which, subject to the ratification of the secretary of the Miners' Federation (Mr. ' J. Arbuokle), gave Mr. P. Holly full" permission to arrive at a settlement with the Coal Mine Owners' Association, . and an agreement was arrived at on Friday, when it was officially announced that the miners would resume operations on Monday. A statement dealing with' the whole position was made to a Dominion reporter yesterday by Mr. Hally, who said that all that Mr. Arbuckle had to endorse was the agreement by the union . authorising him (Mr. Hally) to arrange • a settlement. The actual terms of the settlement itself were to be discussed entirely between the Pukemiro Union and the employers. "On Tuesday, October 12," said Mr. Hally, "I met the committee of the Pukemiro Union, and discussed the difficulty iln a general way with them. On Wednesday I again met the committee, and on that day the union dismissed an offer from the manager of the Pukemiro company, which, after consideration, was rejected.- I .then suggested the making of an offer to the employers, that.the men should immediately return to work, and that the dispute should be referred to the National Disputes Committee for settlement. This was agreed to by the committee. On Thursday a meeting of the whole of the members of the union was called. I do not know exactly what the membership would consist of, but, between 80 and 90 men attended. . I was invited to attend this meeting, and, having in mind, first, that the employers hadalready rejected the proposal that I had made the previous day, and might do so again, jand, secondly, that, in my opinion, the ;majority of the men were anxious to go |back to work I determined to put a fur'--ither proposition to the meeting. This proposal was that the union should unreservedly place in my hands the settlement of the dispute, and in order that the men should have a free. hand, to discuss this proposition, I retired from 'the meeting. On being asked to return, the chairman said that the men agreed to my terms, and gave me until Monday to fix up. I then thought it advisable to suggest, first, that theTe might be no necessity for me acting in the terms of the proposition as there was a probability—a remote one —that the employers would agree to the proposals suggested the previous day. In the second place, there was, of course, the possibility that the employers would refuse to meet me on the new proposal, and, 'thirdly, that the secretary of the. federation (Mr. Arbuckle) should approve of tie action of tho union in placing the matter in my hands' for settlement. These wero the only conditions Hint were attached to- the offer being placod in my hands As a matter of fact, I thanked them for not/ having placed any restrictions on me and for giving me a free hand, and informed them that if , any reservations or conditions other than mentioned had been attached, I would nob have undertaken the work. I then left for' Wellington the same day, and soon after arrival met Mr. Arbuckle at his office, and informed him verbally of what had! taken place. The reply was that as the union had agreed io the proposal to leave the matter in my Lands he had no objection to that course. I afterwards met Messrs. Pryor nnd Weston, local representatives of the Coal Mine Owners' Association, and the agreement was signed up. No ono was more surprised than I was to learn- this morning that the miners had thought fit to disregard the obligation that they had entered into with me. I am quite satisfied that the wlole trouble lies in the fact that I have stipulated in the agreement that engine-drivers shall remain on shift as may be required by the employ- ' erg' during any stoppage of work, or for any other cause of a similar nature. If my surmiso is correct, and the union had stipulated that I could only have como to an agreement on the condition that tho engine-drivers were to have a free hand in this matter, then I should certainly have allowed some one else to ' have undertaken! the work of arranging that agreement.' I do not blame the union as a whole for the continuance of this trouble; I am perfectly satisfied that | thj continuation is the work of two or three extremists in tie committee of the Pukemiro Union. It has been my duty on a number of occasions to arbitrate in connection with mining disputes, _ and . this is the first occasion upon which it lias even been suggested that the enginedrivers should be called off shift when the mines are lying idle through a strike, or any other cause of that character. Even os late as last. April, when the Waihi mines wero in trouble, the en-gine-drivers remained on duty and those that are interested in these matters may rest assured that so long! as I have any say in the settlement oi an industrial dispute, I shall never be a party to anv. agreement where the destruction of property is going to U made a means towards the settlement oi that particular dispute. I would like to say, further, that this is the first occasion upon which any agreement, or anv decision given by me in connection with these disputes has been challenged, and I" think I. "have had as long experience tit this particular work .as any man in the Dominion. TELEGRAMJO UNION MEN URGED TO KEEP WITH. The following telegram was sent to the Pukemiro Union yesterday by Mr. Sally: . , ~, ■ I regret to learn miners did not start to-day. Agreement was based on myi proposal that the . dispute should, be left unreservedly in 'my hands, and that union should abide by agreement arrived at. This was carried, subject to condition, first, that the original proposal was reieet(.(l by tho employers; secondly, that the employers would dismiss new proposals; thirdly, that Arbuckle would, approve of this suggestion for settlement. On my return to Wellington, met Arbuckle, who stated that as union had agreed to it. lie had no objection. Afterwards met employers and made agreement on ' your behalf. Neither Arbuckle no federation is required to endoise or . reject agreement. Arbuckle has seen \hh telwam. Strongly urge you top faith and cam' out your agreemeat. . "PURELY THE UNION'S BUSINESS" STATEMENT BY MR. ARBUCKLE. Interviewed by a reporter. Mr. J. Arbuckle. secretary of the MnwJrfmlion, stated that the report from Autkud that he had tolegrapbed his endorsement of the Pukemiro settlement, was not correct. "I did notliirw in tht . St? said. Mr. Arbuckle , wa purely the union's busing. Afi Io purely tie concern of the union, and l^tenhafwrdHr.ntorte 0 ghould reaume work on the same conai

t'ions as Oley stopped, and that the matter should then be inferred to the National Disputes Committee. "Th* men arc as justified in breaking thoir agreement as the coal mine owners were in breaking' tho agreement regarding the conditions .under which the men were to resume. Until the coal owners learn to respect agreements then I can only say that other people have no right to respect them. ■ The settlement of the whole matter rests solely with the union, Ii the union is dissatisfied and decides to fight, then the federation jvill Ixj sure to back up their action, in so far ne the company broke faith with the federation in the first place, and broke tht national agreement. Secondly, we ' contend that we arc not justified in any way in going against the me". Tho company started the fight, and in my opin- '' ion they are responsible for it." |: RELIEF MONE?TO"IDLE MINERS By Telegraph-Proas Association. fc Auckland October 18. . ', The Pukemiro mine is still idle. The ,» union met 10-dny, but as no mforuiat tion had been received" from Wellington ,1 regarding endorsement of the agreement ,„ wth the employers by Mr. Arbucklo, ,] work will not be resumed at present. " Relief money will be paid out to the idlo miners to-morrow.