STRIKE GAINS IMPETUS

Chronicle (Levin), 5 September 1947, Page 5

STRIKE GAINS IMPETUS

(N.Z.P.A.

— iieuter ,

Situation May Be Out Of , , Control

Copyright)

Received Friday, 10.15 a.m. LOiNDON, Sfcpt. 4. Fifty pits are -now involved in the Yorkshire strike and thirtyseven of the fifty are wholly stopped. The Evening News says that the situation is grave. There seems little hope.of stopping the sym^athy strike from embracing most of the remaining 140,000 mfners in the area as negotiations reached a deadloek following the Grimef ¥iorpe miners' second refusal to ' return to work, and "Strike Now' notices are appearing in many of the 140 pits. Reuter's correspondent says that the Grimelhorpe mfners have not received the solution in the Mineworkers' Union statement yesterday, asking the men to resume work immediately on the larger stint and allow the Factfinding Committee of the ATiners' Union to investigate the position. The Sheffield Gas Company has asked a number of firnis, inciuaing some of the world's biggest steel producers, to reduce co'nsumption voluntarily by as much as fifty per cent. This request had an immediate effect on the English Steel Corporation, which employs between 7000 and 8000. Part of their plan . has been rendered idle and other Sheffield firms are affected to a similar extent. Earlier messages stated that the striking miners contend that it is out of the question for older miners to work the increased stint origfnally agreed on. It is feared that unless a quick settlement is reached the strike may spread to all the 137 Yorkshire pits employing 146,000 miners. Meanwhile the diminishing coal production threatens the output of 2400 factories. Some cotton mills have had to begin drawing on their winter coal stocks. Steel production may be rcduced more than 25 per cent. if the stoppage continues. There is a feelrng that the South Yorkshire miners' strike is out of hand, says Reuter's. Some miners are drawing a similarity with the great strike in 1926. One estimate gives the loss of coal as a result of the present Yorkshire stoppages as high as 200,000 tons. This, with the 800.000 tons which Mr. Shfnwell' announced were lost in Yorkshire through the summer holidays, brings the total loss to the 1,000,000 ton mark or near it. A full delegation of the National Union of Mineworkers has been liolding private meetings during the past few days and is expected to place cn record soon its strong condemnation of the unofficial sirikes.