Kaitangota News.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 17, 30 June 1911, Page 12

Kaitangota News.

On June loth the Stipendiary Magistrate hoard a case that had been lodged by the Inspector of Awards against tho owners of the Kaitangata mine for breach of the award that governs the conditions of work in that mine, in that the company did not pay jstenton rates for cutting into and oiirougii a pillar. The company admitted that to take the literal meaning of tho clause in question it would certainly follow that the work that was done was cut'tang through a pillar, liut they contended that when the agreement, -which "was made into an award was agreed to by tho parties, neither they nor the union had contemplated that to split a pillar with a bord was to be considered as cutting through a pillar. "And in the case in question what was done was tnat they had driven a bord through a pillar. During the hearing of the case honours were fairly even up to the time the company called (as witnesses in their interest) Messrs. jJonaid Melnnes and Jno. Radcliffe, who are both members of the union, and wdio swore that in their opinion tho contentions of tho employers were correct, and that the union, when the agreement was entered into, did not expect that stenton rates would be paid when a pillar was cut into with a place bord width driven on the plane of the coal. Their evidence had added weight "from the fact that both of these men wore delegates representing tho union—and whoso duty it was to got the most advantageous conditions of work at tho conference Avhich brought the agreement into existence. However, the evidence of these two men, on top of the contentions of the company, left the Magistrate no alternative but to dismiss the case. This result means a big loss to the miners generally, and it is scarcely necessary to add that there are very few in the union here who appreciate the efforts of these two witnesses as being in the interst of the workers. A striking coincidence is the fact that both of these men are very staunch opponents of the N.Z.F.L.

The last case to be called that day was D. Mclnnes v. the Otago Coal Miners' Union, in which Mclnnes sought to recover the sum of 12s' 6d from the union for services rendered, when he, in company with others, met the mine manager to discuss a certain matter one Saturday evening. The discussion lasted two hours, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., and although Mclnnes lost no work in consequence, he claimed 12s 6d for the two hours. Owing to the lateness of the hour the Magistrate, after hearing one witness, adjourned the case till next oourt day. The events of June 15, 1911, certainly mark an epoch in the annals of the union in Kaitangata, and some who previously were blind now see.—SPECTATOR.