MINERS STOP WORK

Hokitika Guardian, 9 October 1928, Page 7

MINERS STOP WORK

M'INEOWN KRS M I.GMT T.Uv E ACTION. M R GO A TEA'S OPINION. \Y FILLING TON, Qet. 5. That the men working i:i State mines ought to he very c.ji 1*0 ! ill l,efore they decided to stop work became of a fancied grievance was-made plain by the Prime Minister in the House to-day in answering a. question by the leader of the ‘Opposition regarding short time in the mines. Mr G'u'd'ni ( \W>yl laud) associated himself with Mr Holland’s question, which related to the desirability ol sotting up a commission to inquire into the causes of short time, in mines. “The Causes are very well known io everyone, I think,” '■replied Mr Coates, “and for the life of me, after thinking the matter over, l can’t think of sufficient grounds for a commission.” Mr Holland suggested that local men could give evidence from the local viewpoint.

“They have that open to them now,” said Mr Contes, who went on to detail a list of causes for short time in the State and other West Coast mines. He mentioned that recently all hands had stopped work because two miners who bad turned out “dirty” coal had been put off. It was an understood thing that whom men turned out dirty coal, coal with stones in it, they wcic put at the bottom of the list as far as employment was concerned. Mr Holland: Sometimes these tilings are used for victimisation of men. 1 couldn’t understand men stopping otherwise unless they thought there was something- like that. Mr Coates: Oh, T can’t believe that, but of course I must accept the lion, gentleman’s word. However, all I can say is -‘-’•■•o the men ovoht to be very careful before , they stop work. One of these days, if they do that sort of thing, someone Avill very hard and sav. “There is too much coal. We must close down.”