CAVILLING. 



83 



but even this has been known to have been tampered with 

 when a miner has left a loaded skip overnight. Each party 

 of men takes a bundle of tokens to their working place, suffi- 

 cient for their daily requirements, the number on the token 

 representing that cavil. 



Machine men are generally paid wages, but are some- 

 times paid tonnage rates. In the former case the wages vary 

 with the price of the coal. All wages men benefit by an 

 increase in the price of coal, but the interest of shiftmen and 

 wheelers varies in degree from that of the miners, according 

 to custom. 



Wheeling may be done by contract or on wages. If the 

 former, and the mechanical haulage is not brought within a 

 reasonable distance of the working placed, the price when 

 paid by tonnage may be. say, 2d. for the first 130 yards, and 

 ^d. for every additional 30 yards. Wheeling from isolated 

 places, where work is not constant, is done on wages, as 

 when there is no wheeling to be done the lads can be put on 

 to other work. 



Cavilling is a lottery, so far as the securing of places is 

 concerned. It is a North of England custom adopted in New 

 .South Wales, the original idea being to average the advan- 

 tages and disadvantages of good and bad places, for the men 

 are paid the same tonnage rate in either case, except in what 

 are known as special places, when they are paid extra. A man 

 may draw a good place two or three times running and make 

 more than good wages, or he may be unfortunate and draw 

 bad places two or three times in succession, which do not pay 

 wages, however hard he works. Although the good and bad 

 may average out in the long run, still in the meanwhile an 

 improvident man who has been unfortunate in his cavilling 

 may be unable to make ends met. This has caused a certain 

 amount of discontent, and although cavilling is carried on at 

 the desire of the miners, they want it to be modified, so that 

 those working in bad places shall be paid a higher tonnage 

 rate. This is obviously unfair, unless those working in good 

 places receive a proportionately lower tonnage rate, to balance 

 matters. There are other objections besides the discontent 

 engendered among those who draw bad places. A man, no 

 matter how good a miner he may be, takes some days to 

 become thoroughly conversant with the peculiarities of a new 

 part of the mine, so that he can work with confidence, guard 

 against any local dangers, and take full advantage of any 

 special points. The consequence is that for a short time after 

 cavilling the output is diminished, which is unsatisfactory 

 both to the men who are paid by the ton, and the masters who 

 have contracts to carry out. 



