THE BAND STRIKE.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVII, Issue 43115, 18 July 1907, Page 4

THE BAND STRIKE.

A, late Government Inspector of Mines in the Transvaal supplies some interesting information to the Daily Mail about the strike of white miners on the Rand, of which we have heard so much lately by cable. These miners, as a rule, are simply petty contractors of Chinese' and Kaffir labour, men who are sufficiently skilled to be allowed to set up and take charge of drills. Much of their time these white overseers can spend sitting down and smoking their pipes, anid watching the Kaffirs or coolies work. One of the causes of the strike, was the wish of the companies that the men should superintend three drills at a time instead of two, the men declining on; the go mid that their health would be endangered by the greater amount of dust. The writer, however, thinks it am absurd objection, as. it is the native or ooolie miner who stands up to the machine. The ordinary skilled labourer is paid! £1 a day, and if be is unmarried he can live' simply for about <£lo or £l’2 a month. If he is married and has a small family the amount is nearly doubled;, so that, there is not much of a margin. But if he is working on contract, in charge of drills, be may earn from £-10 to to £IOO a month. As a matter of fact, the Kaffirs and the coolies are in a better position with their £3 to £4 a month and keep', than the white miners not on contract. The Kaffirs clothing bill is naturally low. This ex-offioial hais no’ sympathy with tho ( grievances- of the white miners working on contract. He says that while near- ( ly the whole white population of Johannesburg has suffered by the depression,, the white man in the mine has actually profited, for his wages have remained constant, and the price of living has gone down.. He declares that if nianv of the Rand mines are to pay dividends, either the cost of living will have to be reduced so as to- allow of a reduction in wages to white miners', or more work will have to be got out. of them,. The latest figures show that while some 15,000 skilled labourers absorbed £6,500,000 in one year, the labour of nearly nine times as many unskilled workmen, Kaffirs and coolies, cost only £4,000,000.