ill-judged Strike is

Over Dispute About N. Guinea Working Conditions

From Our Own Correspondent WAU, May 24.

AS reported in May “PIM”, the strike among the miners employed by New Guinea Goldfields, Ltd., is virtually at an end.

It is disclosed that 104 men were af fected by this strike, including many tradesmen who were automatically forced out of employment.

At the time of writing, over 30 men have resumed work, and repair operations are in progress in readiness for a re sumption of work in the Karuka shaft at Edie Creek. A further number (about 16) have applied to resume work and will be placed as soon as possible.

Twenty-six or 27 men have left the countrv: four are working elsewhere; and 23 have not yet applied for resumption.

Those single miners at Golden Ridges, the strike originated, and who have not resumed work, were requested to vacate their houses by noon on Thursday, May 22. The three married miners there who are still out, have not been included in this reouest and are still occupying their free houses.

The outstanding feature of this strike is that the men struck without giving the management of New Guinea Gold fields, Ltd., an opportunity of hearing their grievances—although statements to the contrary have been made by persons not concerned with the strike.

Mr. Ward’s statement, in the Common wealth Parliament, has been read here by many with utter amazement; and it is obvious that Mr. Ward knew nothing whatever of the circumstances. It is a matter of con lecture as to who supplied Mr. Ward with such fictitious nonsense— certainly not the strikers.

Such unfounded statements as: “In one case the only entrance to one mine collapsed and great difficulty was ex perienced in digging out the men en tombed”; and “the dust menace in the mines has reached serious proportions”— among others —are figments of either an imaginative or a malicious brain. There is no truth in either, nor in many parts of Mr. Ward’s speech. If the people who prepared these data for Mr. Ward were conversant with the mining regulations of the Territory, they would have known that many and comprehensive regula tions exist to cover “safe working” in mines.

Among the privileges extended by New Guinea Goldfields, Ltd., to their em ployees are: Free housing; free light and power; free fuel; free medical atten tion: free sanitary services; free drugs; no hospital charges (the company pays these for all its employees); subsidised messes; native servants at much reduced cost; special facilities in the purchase and delivery of household goods.

Captain A. G. Brown, of the Australian Red Cross Society, visited Port Moresby in May in connection with the work of the Papuan Division of the Society.

Monsieur Rene Solari, a former acting governor of Tahiti, attended one of the Polynesian Club’s gatherings in Sydney in May.

Mr. D. F. Higlett, of the Postal Depart ment in Port Moresby, Papua, who en listed in the RAAF, has obtained his commission as a pilot.

Miss Essie Richmond, of Suva, Fiji, was married to Mr. Ernest Page, of Dune din, NZ, at the Suva Presbyterian Church Manse in May.