MINING TROUBLE.

Hokitika Guardian, 25 October 1923, Page 3

MINING TROUBLE.

( ONTI I,’EM E AT KEHITnN. T El! MIN A TIIS \Y IT HO I"T I >E( ISII t.N. [RV Tt.l.l.iaiAl'il I'll! t’i!LSS ASSOCIATION.] I! Fill’i t iN. Oetoliei 25. About a lerlnight ago several 1 ,:tbollr ciem net's of Bui liatuelit inter) icw ol lion, Auder-'.ui. and urged him to interveue with a view of arriving at a 11 leinem if til,. West Goa-; tumble. Tli,. Minister then stated Dial the iniue: s- could resume if they were prepared t-> M.unplv with i?■«. eondjtioiis of the ewaid of tin- A r l . ill al i< n Court, wliieli -ii!! had over a year to run. The men had keen guilty ol a Ine.ca of Ihe award and were apt arenlly illlenl on del \ ing tit. ( i:: :. A- Mini-l'-r o! Eat'.onr lie laid to -oe D-e law wa- obeyed and ie i ould iml support the aelnni of llie miners, lion. Amici-on -.rated lit t if oil her side du -. 1 an im-linai ion for a n ii|'i-:eiie.' ami a; preaclu-d him. he would endeavour to arrstnge one. ;Si".i-: a I .by- laf;. -"Veial l/riioiir i.i,-m1,..: - and miner- lenri-'enlat ives in. formed the Mini sI, r. tint t lie.v were |iv|alcil In r i tend a e-mferr nee with the mine ow inn -. if one eon Id be a i - ungeil. Ultimately an informal meeting id Inch sides was held in Wellington on Tliin.'dav and Friday la-t when the c.wu.-rs submit Sell a (ir.i| ..sal that the miners 'lambi resume work immediately and that a conl'erence be held at oiler- to i- ai-ide. tin- point' ill dispute, outside the soup,, ol the arbitration award. The owners made u plain that matters provided for in the award could not bn discussed as such action would b • a ti-urnal i-m id’ the functions of the Court. This proposal was not acceptable to 1 1 11 • miners lepio'ontativos. Die ewncis tlien proposed that built sides should mutually agree to the terminalien of Lhi- present award and the issue ed a jbesh award. This meant that all maims would first be (sni'in.-ied at a ('oiiciliat ion nice ling and those lid•!, was r,i.i re i bed w ould

Pc decided by the Court. D v.a< suggested tha t t lie Court have the a-.-ist-,,f two or three expert a-.-c-surs irom each side when considering oi.pir,- not decided by the conciliation council. The men agreed to u-sesvus. ■-it! it:g eii the Court when dealing with I, new awn id and promised to la*, dilate in eve; y way the Dsiie <>f a no"' award. Tim owners | oiuted out tin t under this, pro] o-aI Hie men would have an oppoi un.ity of leaving li!l,Urrs leciiog them invi Sligat. d. and expressed their willingness m tin: meantime to have all 10.-ai giievmces outsn'.a the award iu.|iiiied into at om-e. Tin. mine:-' repi e-entutives suggested a tribunal con-isting if th'ee lepreseutmions Ml each side, v.ilh the C mciliat,D,i Conimissioner |ue-idiug. Hie hitter to have a deciding vote, utnl that tile findings of I.!ii- O'ihmml he embodied in the pre-ant award. i hev thought the adoption of tin- proposal would iv•'•ili in :m inmiedinto iion ri work. Aitcp ( fiisiiicr;Mo iii: dt*ci<i«>n vgi.s nrrivffl it. it ,u ‘ Jd t l::it i ll** minor- r*'\-v «*vnit al iv<-> shmdd i <‘L Min t*> tin* West (•oast ami p!...v all thru- inapo-al- !,"- I, . e the Ltiiou's eomcined and that ill: tie r ecnfel'eia <• le held in Hecltou on Wednesday 2fr.h.. at v.lntb a m 1 1ivo from each f nion should meet and u-pre-'ontatives from uach company for further di-eu-smn on the ] ropi -al-. T', u » conference met ye-lerndy "lien the miners- representative- M'ul ’he.' had been instructed to discuss " ltb tic owners ■represi-itadvc- iou.vteen ~f the nineteen point- raised at the Heeft-.m Conference on dst. August and that the decisions arrived r.t be

embodied in the |)resent av-aul. The owners declined to enter into a discussion of those points but intimated that ihex would immediately alter the resumption of work, disco- at each „,i„e. local grievances eut-ido tlm scope of the award with a representative of the district Council, a representative of the Coal Owners’ Association the local management and local rai.m, and the owners farther agree! to immediately make a joint application with the local union- lor a teimitmti.m of the iir.-ent award at the end of next month on conc.iuou that

both -ides Should institute proceedings to obtain a new award. It was pointed cut that as the Arbitration Court would be sitting m Groymouth on 2:lrd.. November, the ConcHation Council could meet almost aonce and the ease could 1 o dealt will n ,he Grevmouth sitting or the LoutThe miners having declined to entertain the owners proposal, the - ter suggested they should take n hM ot „f their Fuion members regarding it This thev also declined to do and then put forward the following V’ropo---“Providing that the coal owners ' will grant to the day wages men in r ,nd around the mines * fifteen per

cent increase in wages, or guarantee the Arbitration Court’s weekly minimum of £A 16?, the miners delegates will agree to refer all the other points in dispute to a tribunal consisting of five representatives from each side, presided over by a Conciliation Commissioner for settlement. If this proposal is agreed to, the delegates will recommend a resumption of woik immediately."

The owners were not prepared to adopt, this nropouil and as it was clear that no agreement could be reached, the conference terminated.