THE STRIKE INFECTION.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 675, 27 November 1909, Page 6

THE STRIKE INFECTION.

I , • STATE colliers.. ' PERSISTENT BtTUDtTBS OF SPREAD OP ' TROUBLE. : ■•..v-v'<'■■•"!■■"■-.-'..-K j ' (Bt Tel«Eraoti — Pr«« Auacl>tloH i , \ Greymouth, November 28. Thero is no change 'to report ia doimoction with .the • State coal-mine (Point Elizabeth) ■ i strike, 1 and everything is quiet and orderly at the township, ' Rumours -that the other miners on* thecoast • are likely to come out are persistently circulated, and a resident of Blackball informed 'an ( . "Argus" reporter that he -would bo very much >;;■ i'surprised: if/ the Blackball men wore not out' rs. - .BOQn, andthat at Blackball "you could hear F jnothißg bat 'strike' talked.", p, 1 . ; ; ;. A Prior ..Understanding Suspected. I'®: ; that 'the- othervminers had v .flbeen asked to come out has been denied by Hhe president of< : the Minors'. Federation, but ; 'icr all that there seems to have boon an •.,... ..understanding arnved at before the State i Istrxko, started, as is borne out by tho presi- I 'fAmfs Temaxks that- if ,the Government did not S ; 6con make a move further pressure would be j to bear. f There is a very feeling on the rsoast, .and it is no exaggeration to say that , ; pinless ,'the Government. and the State miners . .« 6ome to an early;agreement; the trouble will ,assume, a sonous aspect. It is 1 reported that .•S-.v.i.ia.mass meeting' Will bo held in- Greymouth tomorrow. , - 1 Waterside Workers' Attitude. r Same of the members of tho Waterside ; :,vi ,L:|W<)rkers' TJnion do i not agree with-the state.onont that-they have, no sympathy with l the [strike. ' manager of tho State coal-mine, on being interviewed, jaid. there was .nothing now to . report. OMINOUS SILENCE. Greymouth, November 26. There is nothing fresh to. report in connection .: Kith tho stnko. , The. parties are making no ' movement. , To-day rumours.are■ current that the strike , ■ '■- . extend next .week., -The extreme silenco'is regarded as ominous. WHAT WILL MINISTERS DO? i QUESTION IN HOUSE. '■ W : ;;V.■;:'■■■ - GOVERNMENT REQUIRES NOTICE. ..jMr..'Wilford (for ; the' Hon.' Mr. .Guinness) j fflked,,. the ■:following question in the House <W'."n;;:./esterday,' Prime "Minister'!, "What' is , the position'at the Point Elizabeth State Col- « glories, Greymouth, where somo 400. minors are ■ ' -An, strike since Monday last; and' will tho - Government tako the House into .its confidence • and stato w;hat . attitude - the- Government, in; y tends to take'to ,'bring. about a! settlement of ,-' ,tho': dispute between'* the, Government and its employees?"

Mr. T. E. Taylor ■ (Christchurch -North) said s \ 'that,evoiy .man .m.-Now Zealand .was interested ( an this matter. The Eon. R.. M'Kenzie, Minister for Mines, s^t;^*aid;;that:;this:^as 'ai^iiilpdrtant',question,\and should, be son tho ~Ordor, :Paper. : j ■ Mi?. T, E Taylor Every man in New Zea- ■ ; . land is anxious toknow.what is; going to 'bo done m this national' problem 1 ' i^me^Minister;' said -he :would ; 'be 'glad : if. notice wore given of tho questiota, 'and it -. would then-bo dealt' with -in tho - lisual way: ; : : :i; : .-t. :ffho position.was quite-clear ;so .far as the Gov- . ernment was conCemed.vbut he did not want to it.- -. If hd' had. been aware; that ,m '-.the,,matter, wasf,to:come np. that day,''he would have,asked.his colleague to: have cerfain'idocumenta at hand ■■ Mr. Wilford then gave notice of the.question--v .The.Minister, for Mme6 '(the Hon. R. M'Keu-i-de): informed ■: a , Dommoir .reporter■ yesterday . that he reoeivW'ino;intimation from 'the seat if Jr<»ble.yesktdwL... * -.v.:v. s » •v' -i l =., '">•*; »,-y >i/' p < .-V; *-9 i p ii' ■ A FBIENll"'e>F THEJ STEDIEES.' o '''' (By Toleeraph—Presa- A*soclat!oaa f ( * v Dunedin, November 26 vrt...'V:-At •a-i-meecixig of <-the. Harbour Board to-day, W.»rßalchergave of/ rnotjon-'-as foJ-/-j•-■■■!£ws.-^vThafc.this. board; expressed • and records •Mi"'j.-/-i"S • Sympathy.. with v.tho- f minors and their de»-i * pendents now- struggling *foi freedom at Now r,w. ;>v; .pidity.. of«. the • employers who.-havo.-driven the-i ;to;revolt; against,unfair -conditions, -thnflj . causing: widespread i.lossvand'vinconvenience. to r 'the commnmty generally} 'and that the board's c 1 - sympathy with ; the- miners" be.shown ; '•. •. i£y .\vpnng ,the .fund now -being-"raised-»br assistance of .thfl ..- ■

1A BIG DEMAND ON STATE COAL. POSITION 'IN WELLINGTON. -QNIiT THREE WEEKS' SUPPLY LEFT. ' ;... Stete ..coal; depots, supply ,; Wellington honseholda with- more than half the I co'al' they 1 , ~ use. l ' ACoal-vendor.m i the city 'was approached jFesterday: for ,information as to :whether there'i ' - -was any ...marked : demand 'for; coal • over: and : ' above .the.Bormal.-'iTho' ansh'or- was that their l • ! .business was really so' small that they could not ]ndge. They (the firm) aavjsed the rj-. I : ;,: porter .to make his inquiries at - the State-Ctf }i I Department. 1 At the State Coal ; Department ,tho repoi\ \r , ascertained . that' 1 , there- 'was ' certainly an '' a 0.., .., ;: >:.celerated denumd .for-.coal .in Wellington oA ~,: t he. part of householders. Usually people did not order coal until.the supply,.was pretty ~, well exhausted, but. the men in charge of, the motor wagon had. reported; that in manv -jases S: during the 1 past' few ; days had'fourid'. tlie : ■::,; bins half .• full,- ■ showing - that some • peoplo were : , laying in - stocks in ,anticipation of a'- coal ■ .famine.,- The normal output -.was'from '500 to :'V- 550 ..tons, per .week, but.': the:! amount that has , ' been put out during the last few days would jnake this.a big .weok. ■ : : . ... ... . It. was ascertained that' the depot yesterday' ; liad from a fortnight to. thrbo weeks' - supply; strike,'is;not ; settledi;by:then -it'will-^mea'ci . locking up the inotor ,wagons, and ' the' payiug./jff . of: a number of the men. : The .dopot . disposed. of nearly 14,000 tons duiihe .;. -, ;i906-7, 22,000:t0ns in. 1007-8, :and over 28,0flC' ; in :S'r,:::1908-9.:;;-.'V; v ; - : .. . _In-a.'recent .sjimmaiyljof State :Co(d '. Department s annual ' report, the loss • on :tfc . ... ,dopot is. set down at; 4251. It is : i.out fair, to state, that ?on • expenditure side' there was an item of over 4500, which repro\Bentcd damages and costs in connection with : too ease_m which the Department was sued by ,tho farmers' Disfcribntliig Company. ■ ■ BUN ,ON 'STATE COAL' IN CHRIST- ' CHUECH. ~j • : IB* I'oleeraDli—Presi Assoclawfan ) - ' . Chfistchurch, November 2G.'' '■ ' • <_• pi?. r ® } 8 a tfavv run on tho State coal depot. .. ~ . ~ta Chnstchnrch,'. but there are large stocks on . . hand to meet -the increased demand- The ®^ armln S-.reports, this morning in regard to Brunner, Blackb-11, and Paparoa aro looked upon a3 exaggerations. It nas re- : : that the BlackbaU men', were' in -favour , e ' mln " 3 ' ; ' ancl 'there'were' rumours • 5. i_..i I'My to cease work on v•; ■■■■ ,;i'i;' k&trirday • but the officialsat ; headquairters ' hore this, ;and t!ie company .is ii-ork-lng amicably under the award, and there has never been any ill-fcellng. To-morrow vll be a holiday under tho award at the mine, and an annual fete day. All work, of course, will cea3e, and the miners and their friends will 8° >121 .for • festivities/ •