THE WEST COAST COAL CRISIS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 682, 6 December 1909, Page 7

THE WEST COAST COAL CRISIS.

MORE MINERS WANTED. '

Messrs. S. Brown and Co., Ltd,, local reprosontativcs for the Westport-Stockton Coal Company, 'were advised on Saturday to forward all tho minors they ccmld secure in Wellington. Only a few days ago fifty men wer6 forwarded from Wellington to work in the Stockton mine, but most of these have been employed in trucking, Now only miners are wanted—ns many of them as possible, When tho strike Occurred at Newcastle, tho Stockton mino had between 8000 and 10,000 tons of coal in the bins and dump, but on Saturday last there' was not any left at all, and thero is still the fullest demand for all tho mino can produce.

TALK OF STRIKING.

A WELLINGTON RUMOUR. Rumours were, current in the city on Saturday that the local wharf labourers intended to go o>ll pn strike, in sympathy with the coal worker"! on the Coast. Aβ fur as wo can discover th& idea has been mooted, but only by H few extremists, and it is not likely to bo seriously considered by the majority. Mr. M'Laron, M.P., informed one of our representatives that ho had not heard of any such intention, although he was in close touch with tho wharf! workers. MINERS TO CONFER IN WELLINGTON. AUCKLAND DELEGATES. EVERYTHING QUIET AT HUNTLY MINES. (By Telegraph.—Special Correspondent.) , Auckland. December 0. Mr. E. Manning, secretary of tho New Zealand" Minors' , Federation , ; loft , Auckland for Wclli nijton on Friday night to attend the meeting oi tho Incentive of tho Moderation, which is to be hold on Wednesday to consider what actiou should be tnkon with refcrenco to the State coal and Newcastle strikes. Speaking to, a pressman beforo ho left, Air, Manning Etured that ho was, hopeful of a satisfactory settlement of tho State coal dispute. Mr. J. Fnltun, president of the Waikato Coal Miners' Union, left for Wellington on Thunday night, to attend the samo ineptinij. Though strikes are in the air, things arc going along very smoothly (writes a Huntly correspondent). Work ii_ plentiful, and the strike agitation ii conipicuously absent, so Uiat it h likelj that the miners will continue the even tenor of tlieir nay.