COAL STRIKE.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 December 1921, Page 5

COAL STRIKE.

MORE MINERS IDLE. ON THE WEST COAST. OTHERS EXPECTED TO FOLLOW. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Greymouth, Last Night. A mass meeting of Blackball miners to-day unanimously reaffirmed the decision to down tools against the reduction of wages in the award of the Arbitration Court for the southern miners, some of which ceased work earlier this Week. The State Miners’ Union met at Runanga to-day and decided to cease work immediately. It is understood the various miners’ unions in the Buller district will hold meetings to-morrow, when it is expected resolutions will be adopted to cease wofk. The probability is that by next week the members of all the miners’ unions of the West Coast will have come out. It is stated the action of the men is in accordance with the decision taken qt the Miners’ Federation Conference in July last. POSITION IN THE NORTH. ONE MINE IDLE. Auckland, Last Night. The men at the Taupiri Company’s mine at Rotowaro did not start work to-day as the outcome of the stop-work meeting yesterday. The men at the Extended mine held a meeting to-day and adjourned till Sunday. They are working to-morrow. THE STRIKE REGRETTED. STATEMENT BY THE PREMIER. TROUBLE NOT UNDERSTOOD. Wellington, Last Night. The coal trouble was mentioned in the House to-day. Replying to Mr. A. Hamilton (Wallace), the Hon. G. J. Anderson said there seemed to be a certain amount of trouble amongst the coal miners in the south. He understood the miners took exception to the award made by the Arbitration Court in their absence. This absence was entirely due to the miners’ own fault. He understood the State coal miners “had also come out, which he very much regretted. This was no time to strike. He was very much surprised at the action of t'he miners, who he took to be men of a different stamp. Mt. Massey said he could not understand the attitude of the coal miners in the present trouble, unless they were dissatisfied with the recent award of the Arbitration Court. He, however, would inquire,, and if he could make peace he would be glad to do so. It was not always easy to make peace, and in tlhis case he regretted the conduct of the .miners, as this was not the time for industrial trouble.

THE EMPLOYERS’ CASE. Wellington, Dec. 2. In reference to the strike of Otago miners, Mr. T. O. Bishop, of the Mineowners’ Association, states that the position is that the coal-mining companies at the present time find great difficulty in keeping their mines fully employed on account of the market conditions. This, of course, is bad for the companies and even worse for the men, for the latter have to be content with less work and therefore with less earnings; A strike now will simply mean the importation of further large quantities of coal and it is obvious that when importations are made they will naturally extend over a considerable period, because the consumers, to obtain more favorable prices than they might otherwise do, have to place contracts for supplies in excess of their immediate requirements, and it is also policy for them to do so as an assurance against interruption of their industries. The result is that the men who are advising their comrades to strike at the present time are simply condemning their comrades, and themselves also, to work half-time for a much longer period than there is at present necessity for-To-day there is abundance of cheap coal available both in England and in the East and cheap freights are readily obtainable.

In reference to the telegram from Pukemiro, Mr. M. J. Mack, president of the Alliance of Labor, states definitely that the alliance has issued no instructions of any kind to the miners’ unions.