["Trouble At Whim Creek", The Kalgoorlie Western Argus (WA), Tuesday 06 May 1913, pages 24-25]
TROUBLE AT WHIM CREEK.
POSITION OF THE MEN.
In view of the labour trouble at Whim Creek, where, as reported in yesterday's issue, it is alleged that the president of the Miners' Union has been victimised owing to his attitude concerning the lease of the jetty by the mining company, the following letter from the secretary of the union to the general secretary of the Federated Miners' Association (Mr. Glance), under date April 5, from Whim Creek, should be perused with interest:--
"At a meeting of the Whim Creek Miners' Union of Workers, held in the Union Hall on March 16, 1913, a special committee was formed for the purpose of endeavouring to obtain a more regular, cheaper, and better food supply. The conditions at present existing are such as to be unreasonable and unfair, inasmuch as the only store in Whim Creek is run under the name of 'The West Pilbarra Trading and Finance Company, Ltd.,' which is known and understood by all as an alias for 'The Whim Well Copper Mines,' or some of their officials. The jetty at Balla Balla is also under the control of this company, who also own all the lighters and launch plying between the jetty and the boats trading on the coast. Consequently anybody enterprising enough to send direct south for their provisions would be at the mercy of this small but complete combine, who would either refuse to land the goods or else charge such a high price for wharfage and lighterage as to make the venture a loss rather than a gain, and also create a monopoly for their own store. It might be mentioned that this company owns the railway from here to Balla Balla, a distance of 14 miles, thus having the only means of transport between this place and the boats trading on this coast (the Singapore line of steamers being the only boats calling at Balla).
"To cite a case of the hardships and inconveniences imposed on men here at times, one man recently discharged was compelled to go to Point Sampson, a matter of 80 miles, to catch a boat to Perth, as orders had been given by the general manager for this company that on no account was this man or his luggage to be allowed to travel by the company's railway or lighters. This, apart from the monetary loss to the man, delayed him a fortnight in getting to Perth.
"It may be stated that this company also owns the two hotels, the butchery, the main boarding-house, the hairdressing saloon, and the only baker in the town has to buy his flour from the company. To give an idea of the extent to which despotism is carried on here, I might mention that three men waited on the manager, and asked him to supply a better quality of meat, and for their impudence the price of meat was immediately raised from 6d. and 7d. per lb. to 8d. and 9d. per lb., and the quality remained the same. The committee formed to try and right these wrongs consider that the jetty is the key to the situation, and realise their powerlessness while the company holds the lease of the jetty, and as the lease expires in April we are fighting hard against the extension or renewal of this lease.
"This company, by having control of the jetty, have the trade in their own hands, for which they pay the paltry sum of £150 a year, whereas all jetties on this coast are under Government control except this one. To show you we are not asking the Government to take over the management of a losing concern or a white elephant, so to speak, if the ordinary wharfage rates current on this coast were charged, it would amount to between £2000 and £3000 revenue to this State, as there is more freight over this jetty than any other north of Geraldton, and by this company having control of the jetty and lighters they preclude all possibility of any private enterprise. Store keepers are known who would be willing to open a business here if there were facilities allowed them to transport their goods from the ship's anchorage to the jetty at reasonable rates. By the Government leasing this jetty to the company they can refuse to carry any goods other than their own, which state of affairs could not exist if the jetty were under Government control. Our parliamentary representative, Mr. Gardiner, has been trying to induce the Government to take charge of the Balla Balla jetty, but the Minister for Works (Mr. Johnson) does not appear sympathetic with the idea. We consider that if Mr. Johnson grants any extension of this lease whatever, he is going directly against the policy of the Labour party, and that he is ignoring the very power (which is in his own hands at the present moment) that he will be lighting for in a few months, when he will be supporting Mr. Fisher's referenda.
"Repeatedly men are discharged by this company, and no reason given for same, but these men so discharged have the habit of saying what they think, and this company does not want to employ or entertain any but the most docile class of men. In going to this length of detail, we wish you to understand our situation clearly, and ask you to induce your member of the Legislative Assembly to do all in his power to aid and abet Mr. Gardiner in his uphill battle against this company's monopolies--the cruellest and most complete ever known in White Australia.
"In asking for your support in this matter we are only demanding the right to live decently and reasonably, and to be able to obtain the necessaries of life, which we have not been able to do for the last twelve months. Apart from the quality of the food, the supplies are totally inadequate and irregular, and our frequent appeals are treated with contempt. Doubtless there are members of your own union who have been here and can readily substantiate these facts. Until this matter is finally settled, and in view of the fact that we intend to stand by our rights, we deem it expedient to warn all persons against accepting employment here, especially under agreement. Would you kindly give this every publicity. Since writing the above we find that jetties are under the Colonial Secretary's Department, and not under the Minister for Works."
