COAL QUESTION.

Hokitika Guardian, 6 February 1920, Page 4

COAL QUESTION.

STATEMENT BY MINE OWNERS. „

WELLINGTON, Feb. 4

The executive of tho New Zealand Coal Mine Owners’ Association met in Wellington to-day and decided to issue tho following statement with regard to the present position in connection with the deadlock in the coal mines.

It will be remembered that a lengthy conference was held in August last, when the coal mine owners, although they could not agree to consider a Dominion agreement owing to the varying conditions in different mines, offered to meet individual unions to deal with local conditions of work, and offered a further bonus of 10 per cent to contract workers and 15 per eent to. wages men, making in all total increases during the war period of 35 per cent to contract workers and 45 per cent to wages men. The employers’ offer was rejected by the Federation, which apparently then handed the whole of its interests and tlie interests of its members over to the Alliance of Labour, as since that time,

whenever overtures have been made by this Association to the Miners’ Federation, with the purpose of arranging for a conference with the miners’ unions, this Association -as been referred to tiie Alliance of Labour. While' the Coal Mine Owners’ Association is prepared to negotiate with the Miners’ Federation to arrange for conferences with local unions, it definitely declines to recognise any outside body as one with which negotiations should he carried on.

Following the Miners’ Federation’s rejection of the coal mine owners’ offer, the “go slow ” policy was decided upon by the Federation, and has been in operation for five months. The results of the operation of that system are that the reduction in the output has amounted to at least 150,000 tons in that period, and that the minors liavo voluntarily reduced their earnings from an average of approximately 22s per day to about 15s per day. That being the case, it is evident that not only have the public suffered very considerably as the result of the shortage in tho coal supply, in that not only have people had difficulty in securing suplies, hut they have had to pay high prices, which would not have been necessary if the normal output had been maintained, but the fact that the earnings have been restricted to 15s per, day for such a lengthened period apparently implies that this amount is a living wage, and that the offer of the employers, which would enable an average of 25s per day to he earned is a more .than liberal one. With regard to toe present earnings of the miners, as referred to by Mr Arbuckle in the Press recently, it has to be said that tlie coal mine owners cannot accept any responsibility therefore while the “go-slow” policy is in operation. As an indication of the rates of pay which would have been earned since August last if the mine owners’ offer lintl been accepted, the following extract from information given to tlie conference by Mr T. 0. Bishop (Acting-Under-Secretary of the Mines Department) is quoted: “Miners’ average 25s per day, truckers and horse drivers 15s 2d per shift, men in charge of rope road 15s 2d per shift, tippers and lamp trimmers 14s fid pbr shift, carpenters and blacksmiths 16s 5d per shift, yardmen, outside, workers, and tool sharpeners 15s per shift.” Thus, if nine shifts : per fortnight are worked, as stated by Air Arbuckle, the miners would have been earning £ll 5s per fortnight, or. £5 12s fid per week, shift workers from £6 10s fid per fortnight, or £3 5s 3d per week, to £7' 7s 9d per fortnight, or £3 13s l(Hd per week. If, however, the full time available (11 shifts per fortnight) were worked, the above earnings would be proportionately increased. The actual position, therefore, is that the mine owners have been prepared at any time since the conference to pay increased rates immediately normal operations were resumed, and to meet their own unions as hitherto to discuss conditions of work as applicable to each individual mine. Instead of accepting the mine owners’ offer, the Federation has caused the miners to earn thousands of pounds less in wages than they could have earned, and by its action has seriously hampered tlie industries of the country, and besides causing a shortage in domestic supplies, has compelled the general public to pay higher prices for coal than it should have done. It should be noted that in the last olfer made to the Federation the teal mine owners refrained from making the stipulation that normal operations should he resumed before any conference with tlie unions took place. This was done in the belief that if representatives of the various mining companies were able to meet representatives of their own unions, an agreement would he arranged without much trouble or delay. The executive of the Association would therefore urge upon the Federation executive to now agree that a conference with individual unions should l>e arranged as early as possible, in which case no exception would he taken to a representative of the Federation executive attending such conference and acting as one of the delegates.