THE COAL SITUATION

Hokitika Guardian, 1 October 1920, Page 1

THE COAL SITUATION

(Our Parliamentary Correspondent.)

DUNEDIN SHORTAGE. DUNEDIN, Sept. 29

The position at the local gasworks in respect to coal is becoming serious. The engineer has only some ten to fourteen days’ supply on hand, a_nd none in sight.

THE PUKEMIRO DISPUTE. WELLINGTON, Sept. 30 Referring ,to the failure to settle the Pukemiro dispute, Mr J.- Arbuckle, secretary of the Miners’ Federation, today said:—“lf the companies are going to continue flouting the National Agreement as they have been doing, there can be no other outcome than open rupture between the coal owners and the Miners’ Federation. There will he no other course open to the executive than to support- the Pukemiro miners by open revolt, seeing that the com-

panies have seen fit to lock these men out, after the federation has persuaded the men to return to work and leave the question of railway concessions to be settled between the Federation Executive and the other parties concerned.

AUCKLAND TRAMS STOP. AUCKLAND, Sept. 30. To-day was a showery day./ The workers travelled on foot to and from the city. There is naturally regret at the cessation of the tram services. ' AUCKLAND GAS SUPPLY. AUCKLAND, Sept/ 30. The gas supply was cut off by the City Council to-night until further notice.

This will cause a considerable amount of disorganisation to industrial circles, and some hardship among householders

AUSTRALIAN COAL. SYDNEY, Sept. 30. A new regulation under the War Pro cautions Regulations invests the Coal Industries Tribunal with power to increase the price of coal shipped from Australia for sale overseas. It states that any contract for the shipment of coal may be varied by order of the chairman of the Tribunal. AT THE COAL CONFERENCE. (Received This Day at 8 a.m.) LONDON, Sept. 29. The Coal Conference ended in a deadlock. The parties issued a statement to the effect that after a lengthy discussion tire coal owners submitted a scheme for future regulation of wages based on output, which after full consideration, the miners representative? refused. The latter submitted proposals for present nnd future regulation of. wages in relation to output, which after full onsideration the coalowner*’ representatives refused. The parties are reporting separately to the Government. 'v South Wales miners federation 'all along insisted: on an immediate wage advance. Moreover they are strong ly antagonistic to any settlement on the basis of payment by results, unless endorsed by the general body of miners. A special! (conference wit Cardiff endorsed this attitude to-day. Some light is thrown' on the miners stand-

point if the statement made by the Commoner, Mr John Cairns to Stockbum miners is credible. He predicted an early movement for a -rednet.’' of miners working hours to six daily. By a subsequent arrangement, the miners saw the Prime Minister. The meeting lasted 1J hours after which Air Hodges made a statement to the effect that the Prime Minister urged

further meeting with the coal owners with a view of agreeing, in regard to the datum line. The- miners replied that they concluded no further good would accrue therefrom. They have to report to to-morrow’s miners conference.

THE OWNERS DESIRES. LONDON, Sept. 29. The coal crisis continues. The Government organ the “Daily Telegraph” stages; —Tire coal owners have proposed a “datum’’ (minimum output) of 242,000,000 tons annually, with the increase in wages to be conditional on this datum, being exceeded. This figure, it says, is about 12,000,000 tons above the coal output for the year ended last June. The paper points out that the number of miners employed has constantly been increasing. The miners proposed that the June quarter’s output be the “datum, "ith an immediate increase of 2s a day in

wages, and also further wage increases corresponding to the bigger output.

WHAT MINERS WOULD ACCEPT. LONDON, Sept. 30. Four days of strenuous coal negotiations jiave failed to produce a plan for submission to the Government. It is understood the miners did not propose a definite datum line, but were inclined to negotiate oil a basis of an annual. output of 232,000,000 toils. When the miners met Mr i'biyd George, there was some plain speaking on both sides. It is stated that perhaps thisjvas due to the fact that no shorthand report was taken, as Mr “Bob” Smillio emphatically protested against the suggestion that notes should be taken of these proceedings and then published. Mr Lloyd George accordingly agreed that only a general staLinent of the result of the deliberations should be issued. Mr Lloyd George said that it was plain tlie Government would not abandon its. present position./ He declared also that there must be n. public inquiry before anv • wage increase would be permitted by the Government.