Miners strike

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 20915, 15 October 1942, Page 2

Miners strike

POLITICAL issue CONFIDENCE TEST DEBATE "IN HOUSE MR. HOLLAND'S ATTACK (P.E.) WELLINGTON, this day. The object. of the no-conficlcnce motion, said the Leader of the Opposition. Mr. S. G. Holland, in the House of Representatives last night, was to give- members an unlimited opportunity of discussing the events which had happened during the last few weeks. The country was entitled to the fullest information regarding the reasons for the resignation of four Ministers from the War Administration. With the restrictions imposed oft the publication of information, it was difficult for the public to obtain the full measure of information to which they felt entitled. Justice should be impartially administered. Britishers were proud to boast that the same laws- governed rich and poor, and any Government which failed to observe impartiality in the administration of justice deserved to lose the confidence of the House and the people." In 1939, the most drastic conditions covering the control of workers and employers during war-time were passed, but during the Waikato strike he found- that the Government was proposing something which struck at the root of our judicial system. If any Government submitted to the dictation of an unruly minority this was the beginning of the end of the Government in any country, and he contended that in the Government’s handling of the mining strike it had handed overs to what one of its own Ministers referred to as “wreckers,” and actually conceded to the strikers more than they struck for! They had demanded the minimum wage which, according to the inquiry, they were not entitled to receive, but in place of what they struck for the miners were given State control of the mines. Dairy' Farmers Robbed ~ j

These proposals, he said, meant that 13,000 dairy farmers who, through a co-operative dairy association owned two of the mines, were robbed of their mines, though there had not been the slightest suggestion that the owners had made any mistake in the controversy. They were supposed to get their mines back after the war. “That is an empty promise,” continued Mr. Holland. “This may be the intention of. the Government, but these men struck for State control, and they will strike again before private control, is restored to the mine-owners.”

Mr. Holland strongly criticised the payment of the control board from the war expenses account, which he considered a misuse of such funds. Mr. W. S. Goosman (Nat., Waikato): And any loss on working the mines. Mr. Holland went on to saj- that he knew the Minister would connect up the coal output with the war effort. If that was so, anything could be connected with the war, and there was no room for a party Government in New Zealand. The Government had struck at the roots of justice. What it had done was capitulation to the forces of lawlessness. When asked to vote for such proposals it was too much for him, and resignation was the only course compatible with the preservation of his self-respect and his honour. His resignation was 'a severe wrench, because he had endeavoured to carry out his duties to the limit of his capacity and could fairly claim that he had rendered some assistance in the administration of flje, war effort. Received King’s Pardon

Mr. Holland emphasised that it had been established that there had been an illegal strike. An inquiry that had been held found against the men. They had gone on strike in defiance of their own union, the Government, and the law. On September 15. the War Cabinet met and granted authority to proceed with the prosecution of the men on strike.

“I asked a question at that meeting and was assured that this time there would be no turning back,” said Mr. Holland. It was stated then that if summonses were issued they would not be withdrawn. Six days later there was a meeting of Ministers of the War Cabinet, the War Administration, and the domestic Cabinet and the Prime Minister proposed that the sentences passed on the men should be suspended l and the men bound over. The men had not been bound over but had received the King's pardon provided that they behaved themselves and did not take part in another strike. Mr. Holland said that the Prime Minister had read a portion of the regulations concerning the operation of the system of State control. There was to be power to acquire plant and equipment, but he -had not heard of any shortage in that direction.' There was also power to order the mine owners to provide cottages .for the comfort of miners. I-Ie hoped that the question would be cleared ud as the original proposal' was that" the houses should be paid Lor out of the war exoenses account He thought it would be a gross misuse of public funds to use such money for the benefit of the men who had struck. He had opposed the use of funds for such purpose. W “Too High a Price” Profits and losses were also mentioned by Mr. Holland. While any excess in working profit was to bo paid into the war expenses account, any losses were to be made up from the same source. He did not think that the Government had anv right to use money set aside for war purposes to pay dividends. The owner: were guaranteed an average profit over the last three years. Mr; Holland said he thought that the first consideration was the preservation of the Government’s right and authority <to rule this country. Although coal was badly needed, in in his opinion it was of secondary importance, even if the country had cone without Coal fdr some more days the loss would not have been too high a price to pay for the retention of cur principles..,,. The Prime Minister, continued Mr. Holland, had done him an injustice when he had said that at the War Cabinet meeting no alternatives had been put forward. Air. Holland said that he himself had put forward alternatives. One was that the mining industry should be declared a war industry and that the same discipline that applied to soldiers should be applied to the miners on strike. Another was that, the ringleaders should be immediately arrested. Had they been incarcerated he was sure the strike would have been settled within 24 hours. He believed that prosecution at that stage of the proceedings was a fatal blunder. He had urged that the men should, be given 48 hours to go into the mines or into camp. Since this unfortunate strike there had been a number of other disturbances that could not be talked about publicly that were a direct result of what had occurred in the Waikato