WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 July 1918, Page 5

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

i _—- x , "'fij* Tmwm crisis, ■> "•* : 'THB (From Our Special Correspondent.). . Wellington, July 26. The Employers' reply to the "statement of the coal miners' grievances again places the men on the defensive. Briefly, it contends that the meinbers<-of the Miners' Federation are disturbers of the industrial peace; that there is no dissatisfaction at the mines; that the miners are the best paid workers in the Dominion; that if they would "they might increase, the coal output by 200,000 tons a year; that their wages have ad- ; vanced to a greater extent than has the y living; that the employers have I no intention of speeding up; that ihty J have no control over the retail pries of .| coal; that their profits are not excessive, 5 averaging no more than 3.7 per ant. -:":' upon the capital invested; and that no i duty is cast upon the Go\ eminent to ' ';< compel a conforenae, between the em- i ployers and the.-meji. These contentions -■'> ftre supported "by a mass of. evidence 'i which, on its face, seems io justify y them in every respect. > THE MEN'S RETORT. ] Ko doubt the men's retort will appear ? in due course. Meanwhile the two statements in the reply emphatically chall- l . enged in an official way by the workers \ are that there is no dissatisfaction at \ the mines and that no case has been j made out for the interference of the Government.. The eruployers.'jettlement \ for an indication of satisfaction with their conditions, and have scoffed at Government interference because they fear an unbiased examination of the facts. The men, whatever their reason may be, are entitled to some credit for having kept the work at the mines going, and neither side, with a just cause, should object to Government intervention.. If the lowest wage paid is £3 a week and if the highest might be nearly . 1 £7 without "speeding up" the owners on this score surely have 110 ground to , be apprehensive of the closest iuvosti- -\ gation.