COAL MINING INDUSTRY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17692, 1 August 1919, Page 5

COAL MINING INDUSTRY

CONFERENCE TO-DAY. THE MEN'S DEMANDS. (Fbom Odb Own Cobbespondent.) WELLINGTON, July 31. The first question to come before the conference of coal mine owners and the Miners' Federation to-morrow is whether or not the press axe to be admitted. When the employers agreed to meet the federation for a discussion on the proposals for a new agreement the employers stipulated that the press should be present. It is understood that the federation has not accepted this suggestion, and now the owners have declared that they will insist on the press being present. It is possible that the conference will break up on this question, and even if this difficulty should be got over, it is still probable that it will break up on other more vital issues. The demands being made by the miners are identical with those being made by the Australian miners. There is no information as to what is being done in Australia about the now terms. One important fact to be remembered is that the abolition of the contract system in coal mines almost necessarily involves the abolition of the contract system in gold mines. While it is possible to increase the price of coal, it is not possible to increase the price of gold, and if the cost of production of gold has to go up the low-grade ores in New Zealand, from which practically all the gold in this country is won, cannot be worked profitably. Most of the mines are not being worked at a profit now. The proposals of the union are that face miners are to be paid £1 a day for seven hours from bank to bank. In the bigger mines this will mean a working day of five hours at the face, making allowance for crib time and travelling time underground, and a provision in the terms is that there shall be a six-hour day after January 1, 1921. The wage proposed for trackers is 17s 6d per day, and the wages for other underground workers vary from this rate to 9s 9d per day, according to age. The rate proposed for youths from 16 to 17 years of age is lis 3d per day, and for boys between 15 and 16 years 9s 9d per day. The wages of screen workers vary from 16s 3d per day for. workers over 19 years of ago to 9s per day to boys from 15 to 16 years, of age, and 7s 3d to boys of 15. It is asked that the pay shall be given every Friday, and that every Saturday shall be an idle day in tho mines. At present the pay is distributed every alternate Saturday and the miners never work on pay Saturday. A demand is made for a fortnight's holidays at Christmas time on full pay. The companies are asked to provide free light, tools, and house coal to all workers in the mines.

In view of the great risk of a stoppage of work m the mines in the event of a disagreement at this conference, it is idle to hope for any removal or relaxation of the railway restrictions on passenger and goods traffic. The work of unloading coal from overseas vessels in Wellington is slower than it ought to be.