TELEGRAMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 20 October 1920, Page 1

TELEGRAMS.

[PEB PBEBB ASSOCIATION. —COPYRIGHT.) ON THE FLY. HASTINGS, Oct 18. Walsh’s Ayro arrived at Hastings at 2.10 after a flight from Wanganui. Zealand’s largest mercantile houses inPUKEMIRO UNSETTLED. WELLINGTON, October 19. In the Pukemiro dispute, Mr Arbucklo this afternoon stated it had been decided to fight on until the union obtained satisfactory solution of its grievance. The dispute now; he added, will in all probability be taken out of the Union’s hands, and be dealt with as a Federation matter and the settlement will have to come through the Federation. MJNE-OWNERg’ ATTITUDE. WELLINGTON, Oct. 19. Speaking in reply to the statement that the Miners’ Federation will seek a solution to the Pukemiro dispute, made by Mr J. Arbuekle,' the Secretary of the New Zealand Employers’ Federation (Mr Pryor) asserts that an agreement was made between the Coal Mine Owners ’Association arid Mr P. Halley, which was in accordance with authority given to Mr Halley by the Pukemiro Union. This agreement he declared, would be insisted on by the mine-own-ers’ Association. MR HALLEY INTERVIEWED. WELLINGTON, Oct. 19. In answer to a question put to him by a reporter as to whether the leaders or men were to blame for the trouble in connection with coal mines, Mr Patrick Halley said that he did not think the leaders of the miners were at fault. Very often, he pointed out, a dispute arose out of a sheer misunderstanding between the mine officials and the miners of a particular mine. The miners would hastily hold a meeting amongst themselves and down tools. Once out, however, it was difficult to get them started again. * “So far as tbo miners’ leaders are concerned,” said Mr Halley, “I am speaking of men such as Semple, Arbuckle, Webb, O’Brien, and others of the same character. To my certain knowledge, these men have, on many occasions, gone out of their way to stop trouble taking place.” As to the prospects of a settlement aft Pukemiro ,Mr Halley said he believed the recent difficulty was due to a complete misundertanding on the part of the men. He understood that there was a good prospect that in a day or two this, difficulty would be removed, and then, he ventured to say, the men would return to work.