GREEN ISLAND GRUMBLES.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 64, 31 May 1912, Page 12

GREEN ISLAND GRUMBLES.

History of Recent Trouble—Settlement —Direct Action v. Arbitration Court.

In-iido afortnight; from tho first trouble at Giwmi island, ill Christie Bros.' No. 2 mine, a. second eruption took place. It will bo recollected: that tho employers promised that tho difficulty in eonneetion with trucking on tho heavy grades in the bondings would bo removed: The miners, in consequent*!, wont bad. to work, only, to find that, though certain alterations had boon elfeoled on the headings, the main cause, of complaint, namely, the heavy work of trucking those- headings, was just as bad as before Tbuy, again protested to tho manager,,, who said; "Why can't you ho nion: and. leave tho job, if you arc not able- to do the work?" This was no answer to n just complaint, but all the same, if the Union would do nothing tho men would: havo had to leave;.and. in fact, two or throe of tho men. had, made up- their minds to do soi This was more- than their con.rades could' ata-ndj so a meeting- of the. Croon Island. Branch of tho ; Otago Coal Miners' Union was held, and a deputation appointed to wait on .he manager, but ho was obdurate. Tho deputation then indicated- that drastic steps would have to be taken. Later on, however, aevoral other officials from adjoining mines visited the. mine in question, and-as a consequence • a promise was mad©-to the miners by the mine manager and general manager : that a jig would be erected, but as it .would take a few-days to do the work, ' the men were requested to work on until it was done. However, in a day or so, the consulting engineer, who is also a partner in the mine, returned from a holiday, and when ho beard about the jig he absolutely vetoed the proposition. Those who had made the promise of tho jig then went back on their word, and refused' to go' on with it. Further, they would consent to do nothing elso to' make the trucking possible except by the old method of "bnllocking." Thus between the two facts of tho employers going back on their word in the case of tho promise of a jig, and tho impossibility of continuing on under the old system, the miners had no alternative but to decline to work. On receipt of tho information about the trouble, the executive of the Union sent It. N. ltidd to Green Island to -deal with the matter. When he arrived. he found that, while tho men had certainly done wrong in coining out without 'first unifying either the headquarters of their "Union or tho Federation, yet they hud extenuating circumstances t-o warrant them doing as they had done. The mistake made by the miners was that thoy did not ask their organisation to dc.il with tho matter two or three months ago, beforo the roads reached their present state. Hud they dono this, there is no doubt but that this trouble would have been avoided. Instead of doing so, bowever, they were long-suffering and continued on under conditions that were gradually becoming worse on account of the creep in the mine. Finally, they could stand tho strain no longer, and hud to give in. To havo ordered these men back to work under tho circumstances would havo boon futile, besides being inhuman, because tho work was more severe than men should bo called upon to perform, Rather than go back tho majority of the men would havo had no option but to seek employment elsewhere, and the employer would havo had the assistance of our organisation, in gaining a vicLory of a sort over those men. Tliero is no question of the loyalty of the Green Island men to tbe Federation, and it is only an _ extraordinary set of circumstances which has in this instance made them appear to have been inconsiderate of the rules of tho organisation. It is to be hoped that this explanation will bo sufficient to appease anyone who feels inclined to condemn the Green Island miners for being too precipitate in tho action they took The matter was immediately placed iv tho hands of tho Federation, and tho trouble was kept confined to tho one mine. As soon as possible, the President of the Federation arrived on tho scene and took charge of matters. On tho arrival of Comrade Webb, he at once proceeded to make himself familiar with the details of the dispute. Messrs. Christie Bro3. having stated that a lire had broken out iv the mine, which made it necessary to seal the mine up, the position became somewhat more complicated. Seeing that the employers had taken the precaution not to let any outsider into the mine after the dispute commenced, we had to take their word that a fire had become serious. The problem then was toxical with tho men who were on strfke. _ The other employers, who had previously been apprised of tho risk of contagion, were approached, and to solvo the difficulty they had several meetings, at tho last of which they agreed to take on 14 of the 18 men who were out, and Christie Bros., who had themselves started to put in a fresh crosscut to get into some solid coal above the part that was in dispute, promised to take on tho balance of tiio men who were out. For the timo being the heavy-grade question was shelved, but the employers were given to understand that whenever it again arose it would have to be met and settled to the satisfaction of the minors. In any case,, it is to be hoped that tho Green Island men in fiuture will not let tho employer put ' so much on. to them* befones asking their organisation to assist them. While it is only too true that these men had been dealt wifck until brie' breaking strain had boon reached, yot, at tho

isame time their action made the quceM;ion of a settlement of the heavy "trucking difficulty, nioro complicated for their officers. Nevertheless,, the result shows the wisdom, of having no connection with the I.C: and. A. Act. If these men were so tied, what chaJice would they havo had. of entering an effective protest? Absolutely none, because the 'fear of the fine would; have had a deterrent effect on all except (he men who ,were on tho worst grades. If they had asked the Court for relief, would thoy have got any? Not much. Judge i Him seldom has much sympathy with ] his follow human beings who toil in i the bowels of the earth. Their only j olmne.o would be if they could., cavil: the I Judge into one of these headings for a ] ■quarter. lie would 'then lie in a posi I tion to judge, and we would be twin | liable to get- justice especially if there was a chance- of his being cavilled in, a ; second time. Ho would then become just as solid: a convert to direct action as wo aro. However, matters are once imoro quid, ami Green Island is waiting I until a-new schedule of rates and conditions of work is drafted to lay before- tho-employers, after which the 'miners expect to.shake off, a few of the irksome conditions imposed on them by tho Arbitration Court.—-SKIP.