RESTRICTED COAL OUTPUT.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 February 1917, Page 5

RESTRICTED COAL OUTPUT.

'•i;n slow"' Poi.irv jjKsroxsißM.' i:i:\j:i.atjoxs at military AITICAJ, HOARD. By T—T'rr-ss A'-ocia f"mp. Hniiiiltun, Last Night.. • .\l tl:i' Military Service Appeal Hoard I'l-'lav, wlicii a minei named U'illinm j l.imrr, »v,.|, ,vas engaged on tll« stall ! collieries. was asked bv •• Kogcrs whether the average out.p'll per mam was as great now as it wa> I:! incut lis ago be replied ''Xo!" Fur'evidence was given that the present i-iiiiiui wis 17 (rucks |ipi' day, wherem* si\ immtbs ago it was between 20 and -j. Witness could give 110 reason why I here should lie such n decrease, as the distance tn the lace should mako no difference. /lo W ould not say that the decrease was deliberate on the part of Hn' men, but said it seemed to be tho '•a-c>. a very large decrease had been "olii'cable since last Friday week. Witness could not say whether there had been a meeting of the union at which a res olution wax adopted I o restrict the output, but during the lost fortnight it had billon about one-third. It wag reported I'int the men liad been instructed not to earn more than U/fl per day, the ni:niimim fixed" under the award. The men were setting a bonus, a!nd were apparently putting that on the w&ges mid niltiug down the supply of coal. 1 1' reply to Mr. liosser, witness stated Ibiil if the men earned more wages they would get more war bonus.

At the conclusion of the .witness' evidence, the mine manager (Mr .Thomson) aaid he wished the Board understand that he iva--. in no way responsible for the restriction.

It.ivul Ilirniic, another appellant, who was examined on the point, said he believed the»mincrs throughout the Dominion had the "go slow" p»lic\, but lio could not any for what rca-on. tie believed the hewers nntl I nickers yerc hoth a party to this I'|jLp\, <iiki if lie personally did secure a ."iiod place in the mine he would be unable to make a frond cheque, becauso tlie eon', would not'be taken awav bv I lie truckers. ' J 'I hr-nms Thomson, mine manager, ■•lilted tiia-, the output of his mine had Ik'imi reduced fully one-third during the iorl>i!«lit. The actual figures were I not yet nyiiP-.Me, as there had been no pa\-day since the "go "low"', policy was adopted but he knew from the weights sheets that the output was not normal, 'le understood, the same system was beill'.' adopted at (lie Taupii-i and West Coast, mines, and there was evidently concerted net ion throughout the Dominion. (mi Ihur-day, bcfoVe this business film-led,_ Afr. IVisot, of the Coal Miners'' federation, visited the mine, and a meeting was lipid. The output fell next day. AO*l'd if lie could advanee any reasontor the policy, witness stated that, apparently, it wfK'ini attempt to force ov. nei's to i;ive the men a eonferenee. The owners, some seven months ago, met the Mtii.ers, who pleaded the high cost of living as a reason for some consideration. The owners recognised the position, and granted \i war bonus of 10 pel- cent, on the wages earned under the award, to operate 'or the duration of (I"' war, and for throe months after. They thought the matter was fettled, but now, apparently, the men were wanting nome further consideration, and wero earning less in order to strengthen their demands. In reply to Mr. Rosser, llr. Thomson stated that the award would not expire until .laimarv next. Continuing, witness -tilted that the men's average wago WBs nearly 17s per day, with 10 per cent, war bonus additional. Though he had no authority for the statement, he believed the men had received orders that they were not to earn more than 11» 6d per day. Asked as to bow the men worked, Mr. Thomson stated the nine worked lull time, namely, 11 days a fortnight, and the average for a number • of the miners engaged would be over ten days per man. The Association's representative approached another mine manager, who was not in Court at the time the above evidence was giv s n, who (aid he could, so far as his own observation went, boar Mr. Thomson's statement out, and he further added that the men had received explicit instructions that they were not to earn more than 12s per daw ,