COAL CONFERENCE

Hokitika Guardian, 19 July 1932, Page 5

COAL CONFERENCE

OPENED YESTERDAY. y; -■. 'f' , ' DELEGATES AT WESTPORT ' 1 .• - - , , . M ■* (Per Press Association — Copyright .) WESTPORT, July 18. The Coal Conference opened at 2 p.m. :;•/ '■. .The Coal' Companies’ representatives, are-:—Messrs Bishop, Flavell, Hardie (Stockton), Christie (Grey Valley), Stitt (Brunner), Hunter (Grey Valley), Smith (Brunner), McGhie (Stockton), J. C. Brown (Westport Company), Tlie miners’ delegates are:—Messrs Smeaton (National President),'. Hayward (Donniston), Barber (Dobson), Connell (Runangii), Purdy (Brunner), Evans (Stockton), Jack (Millerton), Hornsby (Westport Main), Coppersmith (Denniston).)/ ! ‘ Vi . -

The business tq-day wqts mostly of a preliminary; nature. / Tbej statemeut of the Companies’ proposals occupied tbq full sitting, ' " ' ....

The old/agreement was taken ns the basis, of argument. A , V

A pleasant atmosphere prevails at the cpn.'erence.' There have been no fireworks yet. ‘ The conference adjourned at 5.30 p.m. It. will resume at 10 a.m, to-mor-row, -.//. /. //•' ■■ "if

TWO POINTS UNSETTLED. . OOAL OISPUfF IN NORTH, AUOKLAND, July 18. Two points at; lertst remain tti be finalised on the Waikato coalfields. The Miners’ District Council at a meeting considered the position of men wno were filling slack during the strike period, the employment of whom is considered to be illegal by the Union Their dismissal is ;.be»hg now .requested. On Saturday the miners declined at three pits to work tin/ response to the employers’ notices that there would be. work. It was, a black Saturday, but work on such days, has not been the rule for a long time, as, the miners have found that work on "such days prevents them having any outdoor amusement at the ..week-end. . Pay Saturdays are never working, days, but the recent agreement provides for an eleven-day fortnight. V On Saturday a number of the truckr ers turned up, ‘but at the Rotowarullenowri and Pukemiro mines , the min-' ers did not. The .owners/ wanted the - men to work froni'Ba,m. to 2 p.m. ? on; the ground that there was a heavy accumulation of orders to the strike. ; The. tinners;, howeyer, : declined’ to give effect .to ’the clause, which ; hnd been lifted from the old agreement into the new; 2fo . attempt was' made to; work the Glen Afton mine on Saturday. If the miners were to cbmmqncq Saturday work, the precedent wquld no doubt be used frequently in future.