BARRIER DISPUTE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 405, 14 January 1909, Page 5

BARRIER DISPUTE.

i; : — ■» . ' ANOTHER BOMB. - UNIONS WILL RETAIN PICKETS. AN ARREST. (BI TEI,EGBArit—PRESS ASSOCIATION— COPXEIGHI'.I Sydney, January 13. Broken Hill was quieter yesterday than for many days. Proceedings at the Trades Hall lacked enthusiasm, A further trolly-load of provisions was taken to tho mine. A small crowd wat-ched the proceedings in silence. • One man called out an opprobrious name ,'to the driver, and was arrested, but the onlookers made- no .attempt to rescue him. , .The' request to withdraw the pickets— which was required by the Proprietary directors, as a precedent to a conference with the men in the 'presence of Judge Higgins (President of the Federal Arbitration Court) —has been refused by tho unions.

INDIGNATION MEETING. . s : j (Rec. January 14, 1. a.m.) ' , Sydney, January 13. Another bomb was-exploded in the Block X Reservo. No damage was done. ■ v A mail arrested in connection with tho recent, riot was fined. 30s'. on a charge of using'insulting language; The Mayor of Broken Hill, presided over a. large indignation' meeting. A resolution was- carried expressing disgust' at. the ■attitude of. the police 'and their "brutal assaults on law-abiding citizens!'' Strong condemnatory. speeches were made;' : . .. .

"TROUBLE LIKELY.TO BE SHORT LIVED." ■■ ME. TOM JIANM'S PART IN IT. The Rev. C. E. 'Schafer, a visitor, from Broken Hill who arrived in Wellington yesterday, was able, in conversation -with a reporter; to throw some interesting light on the . mining, disturbance in that centre, While he .is convinced that the miners are by n5 means too well paid, Mr.'Sohafer explained that the wages of miners had-no connection. <with ; the origin of the dispute. This was causdd by a reduction in the rate of pay of truckers and surface men from Bs. 7Jd. to. 7s. Gd. a day. The latter, was not, he thought, a living wage, but the financial position of the Proprietary inline rendered reduction of expenses necessary. : If, the reduction had started at the other end the men might have been less dissatisfied. The mine proprietors' had offered to-bring the caso before the Federal Arbitration Court, and pay;-as. from January 4, whatever wage the Court awarded, Thß oase ! had still, to go before-this,' tribunal. The .men, however, . had little time fori the Court except : when it was raising wages. The Stormy ' Petrol. The appointment of Mr. Tom .Mann as the men's organiser was duo to a number of revolutionary, Socialists who formed a portion, of the committee which was set up by the. :com-i •bined .unions to meet tho mino managers , in conference. He thought that the appointment of' Mr. Mann was a grave "mistake men's own point of view, as it would: alienate the sympathy.'.of. those who'might otherwise have/been disposed to give them moral and financial assistance.-.The, arrest of Mr. Mann would doubtless please liim more.than anything that could have happened, ': as being likely to assist his candidature among the workers if he. stood.for Parliament 1 as the representative of Broken Hill. Mr. Scliafer did' not think, how-'-eyer, that the stormy, petrel of Socialism, would succeed in this' ambition, for when the New South .Walos Premier (Mr. Wad o) recently accused the' Labour members''of .being identified with Mr.' Marin,-Mr. Beelyva Labour member, of 'the Now South Wales .Legislative' Assembly'', had replied, "He does not beapng to .our party." In .South 'Australia,', also, ;the. Labour party .had denounced' llr. Hann/ If the men had secured the' services .'of - one ;of their members .of:. Parliament' 'as v their Reader the present .' trouble: wqiild probably':have,beon, averted,; _ Mr, Mann' was- .beirig'i. piud,-; JMia /week; for. .his services',' a larger..; wage than any miner on the field could earn,.' and "only, a select fo*r t ; knew : how much his weekly expenses totalled- in addition. Prominent-Personalities. ' . The'PederaLPosiniaster-Genorai; Joseph Thomas, who wiis reported .yesterday'as .announcing .that he had received reliable confidential. news, of a ,:nosc. reassuring, character iri : regard to the Barrier, is a, representative of Broken Hill in the Federal Parliament. Being in: close .touch with all the movements of the Barrier, he is well qualified to express an opinion on the position. Mr. Schafer's .opinion is that"the trouble will be.short-lived. ■ ■>' Th? Mayor of Broken Hill, who .went bail for Mr, Mann after his arrest,• is described by Mr.' .Schafer as a man who, while not a revolntionary,'Socialist, is ■ inclined towards extremes. . He: was elected -Mayor by the; preponderating, vote of the Labour, representatives oi)' the, council, which, consists of . tho Mayor, sis Labour, and five Independent aldermen. .. Before leaving Broken.Hill,Mr. Schafer publicly told the miners that-Mr. Tom Mann was one of the greatest. enemies the workers ever Mann wanted to see a strike at all costs,- irrespective ofthe suffering that, would ha involved. Through the press Mr. Sohafer, urged the men to exhaust every possible means' of settlement'jbeforojtaking the extreme step of striking, and for this advice he was termed by Mr. Mann a traitor to trades unionism. 7 "Time will prove," said Mr. Sohafeiv "which is the better: friend of the genuine worker—the man who: wants trouble, or the one > who ■ seeks to avoid it;" ... -