UNDERGROUND WORKERS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8057, 5 March 1906, Page 3

UNDERGROUND WORKERS.

I'EB I'll ESS ASSOCIATION. Westtoht, March it. At the Westland Trades and Labor Council's meeting to-day, resolutions were passed as follows : (1) Tliat after word "Minister." in the fourth line of Section 25 of •' The Mines Act, 1891," the following words be added " and the workmen's inspectors" making provision that these inspectors be notified of accidents.

(2) That workmen's inspectors be permitted to visit tlio scene of anj accident immediately au accident occurs. (3) That the following paragraph, be added to Section 60 of the " Coal Mines Act, 1905," "Inspector or other authorised person making the examination shall give notice to workmen's inspectors of the time he will visit the mine, and such workmen!* inspectors shall be perin.ttcd to accompany the inspector or other authorised person on such visit, and shall report the result of such inspec. tion.

(1) "That all Sunday work in or about a mine be paid for at the rate of double ordinary time, and that overtime to be paid for at the rate of time and a half." The delegates said they must go direct to Legislature lor these concessions, as the Arbitration Courl ignored the men's demands by failing to make au award. _ (o) That the hours of labor in coal mines be not more than eight hours from surface to surface in any one shift. The question of the Grauity Coal Miner's Uuiou entering into an industrial agreement with the Westport Coal Company under which the eight hours " Bank to Bauk" clause was ignored, was discussed at considerable length by the Council. The Grauity delegates, in explaining tlio action of their Union, said the Union at the time the agreement was entered into, was under the impression that the conditions under the agreement, in reference to the hours of libor in mines, were more favorable than those provided under the " Bankto Bank" clause. They had since found out that they were mistaken and would welcome au opportunity of working under the clause.