MINE TROUBLE

Hokitika Guardian, 10 June 1932, Page 6

MINE TROUBLE

OWNERS OUTLINE POSITION. WHY*CONFERENCE FELL THROUGH (By Telegraph —Per Press Association t WELLINGTON, June 10. In a statement when interviewed today, the Secretary of the Nqw Zealand Coal Mine Owners’ Association, said that the statement published by the. national executive of tli e Labour Party was founded apparently upon complete ignorance of the facts. Mine owners had never refused a conference upon their new proposals.' On the contrary, they not only agreed -to,, a -conference, .in each district immediately a request for gueih a conference was made;-fiy the union-, but in the northern the conference was already eyinj'nenced on two occlusions. On the '.J§rst ocejkion itbroken'off by the action'of one section of the Union’s members going on. strike because of a -notice of dismissal served by, file Hikurangi Coy. on certain men, .whose services were no jong-er required because of the Company’s foss of a substantial order for railway coal. The Union executive members frankly admitted they did mot approve of the strike, and the president and other members of the council u-ed their influence’successfully to bring it to an end. Work was actually resumed, and tb e 'coal owners thereupon promptly arranged for the continuance of tb-e conference upon -working terms and conditions. Before the conference could, assemble, however, Hikurangi was visited bv a delegate from another distiict. and, while he was there the second strike occurred:; '-This atone prevented a continuance _of the conference in the northern disfirTetj. -. f

On the West - Coast the conference was agreed to, the only thing left to be determined in respect to it being the date, and it "Wa-s arranged that--this should be as early as was convenient'y possible. ■ "The miners elected not- to wait for the conferenece but ceased work. In iSouthland. ther e . was no exchange of communications of any kind between the owners and the Union, but the strike was begun for no apparent reason. In the eas e of Shag Point, the strike was announced to-dav. the men working under terms of the Arbitration Court .award which has not been interfered with.

NO ALTERATION. GREYMOUTH, June 10

A conciliatory note is genera] among 'the ..miners. Interviewed to-day, Mr W. Purdy (Secretary of the West Coast Miners’ Council) stated that if a conference eventuated, he believed everything cou/Id be- fixed to the satisfaction of both parties. One of the offers operating against a (settlement is a refusal to meet the , offers Every .possibility of a .settlement'shoir'-d be.tested and eve-rj- .avenue The position!remains unchanged, only the safety men remaining /at the mines. (There were- 3,500 tons of coal taken overland since the niines-stoppe'd;:'l,2oo being from bin-' at the mines out, and tihe remajnder from co-operative. The -steamer Kaimiro loaded 2,000 tons. The position i.s that now the, mines out have' on'.y'Wßnfficient 'coal in the bins necessary for the use of boilers in -the event of a prolonged strike. The co-operative - mines are working full. 'time. Some orders hold by the mines out, have been transferred to them.