MINING INDUSTRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 August 1919, Page 5

MINING INDUSTRY.

PAY, FOR PEACE HOLIDAYS.

THE WELLINGTON CONFERENCE,

By Telegraph—lPhws Association. Wellington, Aug. 2. The payment of miners for the one> day peace holiday was discussed.

Mr. Arbnckle said some -mines paid two days and others one day, which was niggardly. Others had not aven honored the occasion by giving one day's pay. Ho had received a telegram that work had stopped at Denniston as a protest. Blackball and Kiripaka had also sent him messages inquiring why payment was not made.

llr. Waveli (Wcslport Coal Company) said it had been agreed to pay one day, und if any men had not received their pay it must have been due to a misunderstanding. .Saturday, being pay day, was a holiday, but ihe owners were paying for Mondav as a gift, not as a right.

Mr. Watson (Blackball) ami Mr. HoiRate (Kiripaka) said the misunderstanding was unfortunate. Tho pay .would be included in the next pay. Mr. Arbuckle said pay for one day was not satisfactory. Mr. O'Brien said one mine had been stopped owing to the owner's action. Such misunderstandings led to serious trouble. Often a strike was the only method of rectifying such misunderstandings. The discussion was dropped on the understanding that secretaries should be notified that all men were to be paid. "THE FIGHT IS ON." A DEADLOCK REACHED. Wellinfrton, Aug. 2. When the Mining Conference adjourned until Monday v. deadlock had been reached Mr. Alison stated definitely that the owners would not discuss the abolition nf the contract system, no matter what figures the Miners' Federation produced. Tn reply to a question as to whether the owners would be prepared to make counterproposals, Mr. Alison said tlie owners would he prepared to discuss other clauses of the proposed new agreement. Mr. Arbuckle, secretary of the Miners' Union, said the Federation delegates had absolutely no power to withdraw the five points referred to. They must go back to the rank and file unless these were discussed. Refusal to discuss them would be the red flag to the rank and file If the owners had no otlier offer to make then the fight was on. K was understood that the Federation would make a statement on Monday refuting that made by the mine-owners. THE POINTS m DISPUTE. (From Our Own Correspondent.) Wellington, Aug. 1. When the Mining Conference adjourned this evening the prospects of agreement between the representatives of the Coal Mine Owners' Association and the Miners' Federation appeared to be remote. The initial difficulty, arising from the objection of the miners' delegates to the admission of press reporters, was overcome. The mine-owners were firm that the discussions must take place in public, and the miners evidently were not willing to have tho conference wrecked on their demand that the proceedings should be private. But the statement made subsequently by tho mine-owners' chairman (Hon. E. W. Alison) regarding the Federation's demands was uncompromising, and though discussion continued, it. appeared that a, deadlock was being approached. Mr. Alison said the principal demands made by the Federation could not be aeeededlto or even discussed, and that the employers were not prepared to proceed further with the conference unless' these demands were withdrawn. The discussion during the afternoon wandered all over the field of mining conditions and profits, but no progress at all was made. The miners (lid not reply definitely to Mr. Alison's ultimatum. A good deal was said in the course of the discussion regarding the contract system. Tho miners appear to regard abolition of the contract system as their most important demand; the mineowners evidently aro fully determined not to yield on the point.' The miners' argument, in brief, is that the contract systeni means speeding up, increases the liability to accident, forces men out of the mines as soon as their physical powers begin to wane, and produces disputes, owing to the continual variation of_ working conditions. Nature, said the miners, had not provided uniform conditions in the mines. The difficulty of getting coal varied from, ,'. a y to day and place to place, and nobody could tell in advance how a contract arrangement would operate. The mine-owners replie/i that the contract system, was the fair and efficient method of working the mines. If day wages were going to be accompanied by slower work as well as hv reduced hours, the effect would bo a disastrous reduction of production. Thcv denied that there was speeding up, and claimed that, the wages sheets showed clearly that under the contract system the men were able to earn very good money.