COAL DEADLOCK

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 264, 1 July 1932, Page 5

COAL DEADLOCK

(Press Assn.-

CONFERENCE ENDS 1> — 1 . ■■ ballot of men to be taken on oWners' final terms DECISION TO-MORROW

-By Telegraph — CopyrlgHt),

AUCKLAND, Thursday After sitting for three days, the conference .between the Northern Coal Mine owners' Association and the Northern Miners' Union, came to an end at 4.30 p.m. to-daty without reaching a decision. The miners' delegates will return to Huntly in the morning with the owners' final terms, which will be submitted to the men for appfoval or rejection to be known on, Saturday night. , Prior to the re-opening of the conference to-day, the miners' delegates met to .consider certain amended terms offered by the owners. They reported their decision to the Ownners at 11 a.m. intimating , it is understood, their willingness to accept certain clauses, but offeripg eounter proposals in respect to the remainder. The owners met at 2 p.m. to consider the eounter proposals, and at 3 p.m. both parties came finally together. The owners presented their final terms, which they requested should he submitted to the unions at the earliest mqment. In response to the owners' request, the men's delegates agreed to submit the final reports to ballot by members of the union, and give the owners an answer to-morrow night. The men's delegates will proceed to Huntly in the morning, and on arrival, a meeting of the Huntly miners will be held to review the delegate's reports and receive the owners' amended terms. A similar ballot will be held at the mines on Saturday morning and a ballot will be taken in each case. Mr. A. McLagen, finaneial secretary of the United Mine Workers' Union will aecompany the men's delegates to Huntly instead of return-

ing to Wellington. ; 'At the conclusion of the conference, the Hikurangi miners and owners' delegates held a separate meeting to consider special clauses relating particularly to eonditions appertaining to sharp mining as distinct from drive mining. • The character of the Hikurangi and the Huntly mines differs in this respect. A ballot will he held at Hikurangi on the main issues, similar to those to be taken at Huntly. One of the clauses included in the owners' final terms was that intending to give the mine managers unrestricted right to engage and dismiss men. In its final form, this clause, which is one of the principal bones , of contention, appears in a slightly amended fo'rm, the word 'unrestricted", being replaced by "absolute," so that the clause now reads : "The manager of every mine to have absolute right to engage or discharge men at his own discretion."