CONCILIATION DECLINED. (From Our Own Correspondent.)

Otago Witness, Issue 2894, 25 August 1909, Page 53

CONCILIATION DECLINED. (From Our Own Correspondent.)

GREYMOUTH, August 19.

In connection with the deadlock at Otira the men held a meeting last night to discuss the situation. Owing to the unsatisfactory Teply from Mr M'Lean, in not allb.wing the matter to be settled by the Conciliation Commissioner, they. decided to put the matter before . the executive .of their union*- a special meetasujj of - which " has been summoned. Until their* decision is known all work will cease. The men have discontinued the practice of- going rap on their -respective shifts, as there is now no occasion to do so, after the lamps, being refused two or three times. Mr M'Lean, to effect a settlement, will now have to deal with the union direct. In view of the fact that last Saturday was pay day, one sees very- little abuse of strong drink. The men are keeping eober and orderly. At the meeting yesterday, Mr Gavin (for the contractors), Mr Hasten (Labour Bureau), Messrs Semple, Fagan, and Simpson (for the' men) were present. It was urged by Mr Fagan that the matter be left to the Conciliation Commissioner to settle. Regarding the lamps, he said that the men were prepared to have all lamps numbered, and failing any man not returning the lamp issued to him he be held responsible for it, the men not to take the lamps away to their huts, or to trim the lamps themselves. Regarding the seven hours' shift, Mr M'Lean is adamant. The firm will only pay as for seven hours. The employees' representatives state that if the men worked till 12 o'clock on Saturday night it would be Sunday morning before they would be out of the tunnel.

The men hold meetings twice a day, and all eeem anxious to resume work immediately. Nevertheless they strongly object to the conditions which the firm wishes to impose on them. The suggestion that work should be reEometi under the old conditions till the matter can be settled by conciliation was rejected.

August 20. The trouble existing at Otira. seems to be as far from settled as it was a few

days ago. The men are willing to have the lamps numbered, and failing any , man returning his- lamp when conung off j shift, iox that man to pay for it ; But they do not want to take the carbide of calcium, home to their huts and trim their lamps. They wish the lamps to be left in the lamproom as is done at present, and check the men bringing their lamps off the shift. The men received notice to draw their time and vacate the huts if they do not go to work under Mt M'Lean's condition. Mr Gavin, on the application of the union •officials, feranted an fextension of 24 hours to enable the executive to meet. Mr Moston, Government Labour Agent at Greymouth, last night received the following telegram from Mr Gavin respecting the trouble :—": — " We stand «n seven hours' pay for seven hours' work. Lamp deduction to be signed for loss or damage only. Carbide to be issued to men, and men to fill and care for lamps. The men are now notified that if our terms are not accepted they are to be paid off on Saturday at noon. The men are not agreed, and have referred the matter to the executive of the union at Keefton, which meets on Friday night." Mr Rt Semple, president of the Miners' Federation, returned from Otira last night, after having been up there to endeavour to effect a settlement of the dispute. Messrs Semple and Fagan met Mr Gavin as soon as they arrived on the scene, and pointed out to him that it was preposterous to demand a deposit of 10s bd a lamp, as this was not done in any mine in the world. They -pointed out to Mr Gavin that it was evidently the wish of the contractors to get at those men who were careless or wilfully neglected their lamps, to which Mr Gavin assented. The deputation added that it | did not come to represent such men, but j on behalf of the careful ones. They j contended that the contractors should follow the course of all coal mines, where a cabin was erected at the mine mouth, and a cabin boy gave out the lamps each shift a.nd took them back at the end of the shift, cleaned them, and had them ready for the return shift. The management of the tunnel work had at least i

reduced its' demand for a deposit of 10s 6d, but. now demanded the man's signa- " ture for the lamp and compelled the men to take them home and clean and prepaie them for work. This was most objectionable, as several of the men reside in boarding-houses, and had no place in which to clean them except their bedrooP's. and the stench from the carbide was very great, and it incurred at lea-st an hour's work in cleaning and preparing the lamps. Such a proposal was not - known in the Dominion. The question of the hours "of leaving work on Saturday at midnight and starting at midnight on Monday was entirely new to the Dominion and was entirely contrary to ail precedent, but Messrs Semple and Fagan preferred to leave that matter to the Conciliation Commissioner, and it would be placed before him immediately. The men subsequently held a meeting, and unanimously agreed to accept the conditions laid down by the deputation, provided Mr M'Lean 'agreed to them also.

GREYMOUTH, August 21. The Star's' correspondent advises that the Otira deadlock continues. Police reinforcements were sent up yesterday. This created an angry feeling amongst the miners, who at a meeting last, night decided to telegraph to the Minister of Justice requesting their withdrawal. REEFYON, August 21. The Inangahua Miners' Union has endorsed the action of the Otira miners, in consequence of Mr M'Lean's refusal to submit the questions in dispute to the Conciliation Board, and have appealed to the Labour agent at Greymouth to institute proceedings for breach of award.