BLACKBALL STRIKE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 161, 1 April 1908, Page 7

BLACKBALL STRIKE.

COLLECTION OF THE FINE. , : A TELECRAM AND A REPLY. i IBT TELEGRAPH—PREES ASSOCIATION.')'. . A ■"! ■ .....'. Greymouth, March 31.. i - The only movement of note at Blackball is that Mn Lomaß telegraphed stating that he intended to collect tho fine.- The reply of the. Tlmoiv was, to tho effect that ho i- ; endeavour to collcct it^if,ho liked. A MINER'S LETTER. ' i BY TELEGRAPH—SPECIAL ..CORRESPONDENT. ■ ' ■■••. Creymouth, March 31. ■ Nearly thirty miners who are on strike a< .Blackball have applied to the Labour Dc-, [ i partment for employment on the Blaokball \ Railway works. A great many residents aro strongly opposed" to < the application being . j 'gr&ntod/' holding that the men ha 1 . _ plenty of work waiting for them.if they would only return to it. / • -. . M sWriting to to-night's " Star," a minor ' j says:—" On a recent visit to the. striko . . > ■ locali%yi was: informed ;t)y an old resident a j thatl'-iPtyds -'of > nis. use' attending the Union ' • .meetings' if you had an 'opinion to express - , n ithat- was adverse to the general' attitude,v - ■ befc'a'uso you would not get a.decent hearing; < : ~ Thft'.-r.esulti is! .that.: there, are' no advocates V-, or'leaders for the opposite side:of the quesy : . , tioh'.':' Many, sensible';- men' refrain from.at-. tonebng' Upidn.meetings,.'and,Mr. Fitzgerald'. : v.. ; and his sntillit'es rule tho roast to tho do- ; - ; triment of!'the district in general. Mr. at a recont Union^meeting, sug- , . ,\" ges'ted' thal all'their 'decisions be arrived at , ■ by .a % show 'of-','hands;.-.--..Why P.., Because. Mr. 7 Fitzgerald was painfully aware of the fact • Ihht' tho giou'nd was'slipping from under their feet, and it 'was common gossip that "jf-a silont'ballot .was .taken: as to resumption : ;>•« of work, they would: return to worki by,.3 , . gtidd mAjoritv ■ If we • are to continue out march of progress tMHaw must be .observed- . . j or repealed, othorwiso there will be moon- ■■"■■•si ceivable• trouble in the near..future.' The : • ;.■.■, "demands pf rtljo ißlackjiall' Union were most , ...., rcasferiable,'':- , ' md , st-:' ! essential,. and perfectly . . . justifiable, but their, method, of pursuing . ; ,-• ■•; their' desires has been for the most part- ~ over-indiscreet; —Henoe the . cool receptions accorded throughout tho Dominion. I think. .... . it 'now'behovcr the stnkorß(to wako up t».... ;i thb real and . forego obstinacy fw . discretion.'' A '.h ; j.. ..-•' .. '. v ! ' HtLP and sympathy. • (BY TELEGEAI'II.—PRESS ASSOCIATION.) ; ■ .- Westport, Maroh 31i. ■ f The 'Westport* Labour {Umon decided to- • s night to ' vote £20 'to the women and children l .; at Blackball and struck a levy of 6d per • week per-. 1 member,,:which-,will realise a fur-, .. ther £23 10s por month during the trouble. „ , 1 Duiiidlh, 1 Maroh 31 The Chemical Manure Workers' Union passed the'following .resolution, tonight. <<• That tills Union' sympathises, with the. men : : •.- on strike at Blackball,,.at the samq..time re-.. . v , gretting that they acted in opposition te . , tho law." ' TH£ STRIKINC. I J - ! 'A LABOUR OPINION. ' " witl? reporter, Mr-;D-' M'LafOn;'.gecrotary .of the Wellington ; j '■Wharf Labtiuretst Union, remarked that/the ' 'question-'of. crib time was not dealt with in. . the Amoral lafl of tho land-nor jet in the award under uluch the Blackball miners had been working Admittodlj, Section 15 of the Arbitration Act, 1905. gave the Court power "to deftl with strikes arising from matters not provided for in.the law or man . award, but he : thought ,it was questionably ; whether t]iat';secti.on, if taken to the higher . , ~ . Gdurt'j would not fbe -held _to be -unconstitu- . r: tional. It was. unequal in its application, . because workers who woro not members of a , w . Union,'and did not come under; an nward j .could declare a strike, while those, and those alone, who were members of a Union, or who ~,j efo covered 'by an award or anindu 3 tras _ , aereement wero debarred from striking, ilio . ~ ; law, therefoie, did not apply equally to aH ] and might, tlierpfore, ho xhought, ( 1 be- declared unconstitutional it the opinion of the highest. Court were taken upon it. .