The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. MONDAY, AUGUST 27, 1888. THE MINERS' STRIKE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1929, 27 August 1888, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. MONDAY, AUGUST 27, 1888. THE MINERS' STRIKE.

The Newcastle coal miners, numbering some thousands, are now out on strike, j They have knocked off work, and are likely to remain out until their demands are acceded to. Three thousand English miners have been cabled for, but theße, even if shipped off as soon as the cable reaches England, cannot be m Newcastle and ready for work before some weeks would elapse. Meanwhile excitement runs high, and the course of events will be narrowly watched. We have been told that the strike m New South Wales is the best thing which could have happ?ned to us m New Zealand. The vessels waiting for coal there will now up anchor, put m ballast, and come to New Zealand, where our coal will be speedily disposed of. Again, too, freights fur grain will cheapen, as vessels unable to get coal • will load wheat for Home m preference to lying idle. There was never such a quantity of wheat m store waiting a market as thero is this year m Canterbury, and particularly m this district. If cheap freights come to ' us as a result of the miners' strike there is no doubt a section of the community will benefit by them ; but, on the other hand, whatever temporary benefit we may now derive from^the consequences of the strike will be entirely nullified by after effects. A rise m the price of so necessary an article as coal means that our poorer population must suffer. It means that our industries must decline until cheaper fuel is forthcoming. Already the first effects of the strike are felt m the larger towns here as well as m Australia, where the rise m coal means more than it does even to us. Should the miners at Westport and other large mines follow suit tho whole colony would be, to a great extent, at a stand still. In fact there is no aspect from which the question may be viewed but suggests the idea that the effect of the strike will mean harm to progress. Whether the men were unreasonable, or the owners overbearing is not yet clearly apparent. The men struck work not because they were not making enough money, but because they could not agree on some minor points with the masters. If it is true that tho daily wages earned ranged from 9s up to 22a per day, it will be seen that so far as the average was concerned tho rate was pretty high.