THE MINERS' STRIKE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1932, 30 August 1888, Page 2

THE MINERS' STRIKE.

♦ — — . ■ •! (PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.) :•;..; Newcastle, Augwt 29; The miners on strike are making efforts to induce the southern men also to go out. A number of those who went out on strike here have accepted work m the coal mines m Tasmania and Queensland. ! (Received August 80, 12.30 p.m.) Nbwoasixe, August 30/ The Miners now out on strike hWe issued a manifesto to their fellow workmen, and the general public of Australia appealing for aid m their endeavor to obtain their demands from the masters. : The " Sydney Tolegrppi," In an article, on the coal miners' strike, after pointing out the widespread Injury and suffering : whloh would be imposed on the oommeroe and labor of the entire' continent 'of An&tralia if the mine-owners and pitmea. persisted m praotioally closing the mines, v ends the article, which is the second of two on the same subject, with the following pregnant warning :—" That fa just as long as the oouotry chooses to lie down and allow itself to be trampled on In this ; outrageous fashion. Bit how long will it consent to accept such treatment ? v Ooal is a pablfo endowment— a gift of Provi* dence to man, jast the same as air or water is. We are not indebted to the colliery owners or miners for lis production. They are merely Its distributors. If one legally established system of distribution falls m suoh a way as to leave the community without coal, another will very noon suggest itself. Tf one set of capitalists and workmen cannot agree amongst themselves as to the terms npon whloh they will co-operate to aot as distributors of ooal, the law should afford scope to another set. 4nd the present position; of .affairs shows the extreme danger to whlob the community submits itself m ever letting Its coal supply pass from State oontrol at all. If all coal land was held under lease from the Crown, with a stringent labour condition attached; a strike suoh as that with whioh we are now threatened would be Impossible. The wholesome fear of the jumper would always guarantee peace between masters and men. There are hundreds of men wanting work, and any quantity of capital waiting investment m the oolony at the present day. If ooal were made national property, 'owners' and hewers would, In view of these two facts, show a much less insolent disregard to the public possessors of the coal than they are now exhibiting. The miners and ' owners' have made their preparations for submitting the general public of Australia to a ooal blockade whenever It suits their Interests to do so. The publio, ho waver, have not yet yet thought about any plan Df self-pro teotlon. Bat at the same time bhe blockadera make an egregious mistake If they are taking this indifference for impotence." Tha " Wanganul Herald " says :— The injurious effect of the Newcastle ooal ninera 1 , strike will be felt even m W»n-» ;aual. One of the vessels lying In'Newtastle awaiting a cargo of ooal was to have iome here for a return cargo of timber, >ut she will not now be pot Int* this rade. Indeed, it has been for some time Ufficolfc to get suitable sailing vessels to ome here, and it will be worse now. I/he result is that arrangements have been aade by Rangltikel-Manawatu sawmlllera 0 send half a million feet of timber by ray of Wellington, the whole of which, f we could have supplied the vessels, rould have been shipped to Australia; hrough this port. As it is, the Welling* on-Manawatu Railway Company hava aade Buuh concessions as have, at least 3mporarlly, scoured the trade. An important new departure In coalallway working has recently been taken n the West Coast. Hydraulic cranes for Uctog the ooal on board steamers are ow at work regularly at Greymouth, 'hese cranes are capable of lifting eight ms. The entire body of the ooal truok 1 lifted, lowered Into the ship's hold, Isonarged by doors In the bottom, and again on the truok ; wheels. his Is the first instance of hydraulio anes on a large scale being worked m ew Zaaland. Two auoh oranes are callable.' The "Post" layit—lt is at.ted that c New Zealand ooal-workers on the West Jast form a branoh or branches of tke astralian T3nioD, and that if the New laland mine-owners attempt to counterttha effeot of the Necaltle ttrlke, by pplyluß the Australian demand, th« Iners In this colony will certtfnly be lied upon to support their Australian lowa by joining In the itrlkeigSj^t