WESTPORT REPUTATION.

Hokitika Guardian, 29 January 1920, Page 4

WESTPORT REPUTATION.

HARBOR board request

{run raESB association. —oarxaiQiiT*) WELLINGTON, Jan. 28.

Mr Massey was asked by the Westport Harbour Board to-day for Government assistance to the Westport Harvard Board, whose income is short, by £9OOO, of the amount required to meet the payments for interest and sinking fund, thus leaving nothing at all to keep tlie port going. The deputation, asked the Government to give to the Board the twentyone per cent added charges oil the railway, and to ailow the Board to make an additional charge of one shilling per ton on coal coming over the railway, and also to consider the question of paying to the Board the £58,000 collected by way of added charges during the past four and a half years. Hon Herries said that the charges were imposed when he was Minister of Railways’. They were in the nature of a special war tax. The Board had no moral right to them. Mr Massey -said that the non-receipt of these extra charges was not the only cause of the Board’s financial difficulties. The .port ought to be under national control. The Westport people would be .much wiser to allow the Government to take over control of the port ,in which case the Government would also take over the Board’s liabilities. He could not promise that the Government were prepared to go on with the idea, but the deputation's proposals would he brought before the Cabinet without much delay.

TO OPEN NEW COAL MINE. WELLINGTON, Jan. 28. The Westport deputation to-day asked the Government to open up the new mine in the Jnangaliua Valley, and build a railway to make the mine accessible and also to take steps to open up the coal measures at Charleston.

It was urged on Mr Masey that the Government must see that the miners are better paid and provided with better houses if they are to be induced to stay on the coalfields. If the present state of affairs continued for two years more, it was urged, .(.here would be no men left on the fields, and the only alternative would be to work the field with foreign labour.

In replying, Mr Massey said that he believed the conditions in the mines whether State or privately-owned should he as good as it was possible to make them. “ But,” he said, “we find that a pistol is presented at our heads, and we are told that if we don’t do so and so, there will he no coin. I believe a round-the-table conference is the best method of settling the troubles. Mr ,11. E. Holloud, M.l\: “So do the miners.” Mr Massey: “ Then why don’t the miners come along to a conference?” Mr Holland : “ They are prepared to come now.”

Mr Massey said that if the miners were willing to meet the mine-owners, the Unions being represented in proper persons, by miners, ho was prepared to do all lie could to bring about a conference and assist to make it successful, but if the miners were nob prepared to do this, it would ho useless for him to ask the owners to come to a conference. If the miners would only drop the idea of being represented by an, outside body—the Alliance of Labour ho thought a conference could be arranged, and the difficulty settled.