NEWCASTLE STRIKE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 700, 28 December 1909, Page 5

NEWCASTLE STRIKE.

AN APPEAL CARDINAL MOEAN TO THE MINERS. By Telegraph—Press AssooiationT-OoDyrlKht. Sydney, December 27. . Cardinal Moran. in a sermon, said ho Understood it was useless for Kim to appeal to tho mino-ownersj .but he appealed to tlio men to return to work without a day's delay. No doubt at no distant date tho mines would'be gradually resumed by the State, and tho disastrous records of strikes/ be forever closed;'' Mr. Q. M'Willinms, vice-president of the Colliery' Employees' Federation, will proceed to New Zealand on a mission in connection with tho strike.': QUESTIONS- FOR MR. HUGHES. BY MR. WADE. . ; The Premier of Nov? South Wales, Mr. Wado,- has addrossod tho following four questions to Mr.- W. M. Hughes- Leader of the Strike Congress — "Did ho not propose early in November to call out tho maritime' workers in' tho adjoining States) so as to make: tho strike a Federal matter, and givo Mr. Justice Higgins jurisdiction to deal with tho situation? . : ■ ' "2. Did not Mr. Gray send instructions to the; .waterside workers in Brisbane, Melbourne, Adetaide, and Premantle riot to handle any foreign coal?/ i - ... "3. Was not that.message authorised by the Strike. Congress?... '; "4. Did not Mr. Hughes endorse that action? - • .' "Mr. Hughes (adds Mr.. Wade) has avoided my questions bv, stating- that congress ordered the coal-lumpers to load coar.; : Tms was ! a .purely.:local' matter, confined to Sydney, the effects -of '<which were known; to' every body.; ; My 1 questions refer ,to ithe - proposed extonsion-' of the Coal .strike' to the -other. States. ' Mr. Hughes is not bound to answer aiiy'. questions ithiit might, put him in a false position, but if lie can answer 'No' to these ftur questions, I shall be surprised." THE STRIKERS' STRIKE. '. I INDIVIDUALISM V. SOCIALISM. •A Sydney.; Press Awociation cablegram I published ■ yesterday stated: — "The workers' cooperative mines, the Ebbw Main and Young Wallsend,' are idle, the miners objecting to 1 pay the 25 per : cent," levy proposed by the .Colliery Employees' Federation.: Previously ■> thoy had paid 10' per cent," - '. v .'. Threa Stoppages. 1 • Sydney papers - to Sand.. by.' : the inaii shov; that , tho Young Wallsend mine. had already had—on December one-Shift strike Aigaihst. tho .lOrper-cent.levy, this making the second strike .withiri the brief .life -of ■ tho' strikers', mines. .. The. raising of ,the levy-to 25 ..perl cent." presumably caused the third and final jolt,that, the strikers' mines idle.': Tho strikers have struok against contributing so much of their wages to othor strikers. date December 20,-, a • Newcastlo' mossace in the "Sydney . ; Morning - Herald" statesi— V. v-'. "Bv the look. of thinra tho etrikers are helping '"to - ! shatter their.own osuw by dissension: in their ranks. Tho;most redent development shows that: among the large body of Socialists thoro are a, good many individualists. These; have:! once more; kicked; aside' the chafing: traces, 1 : a ntf are: causing' trouble .in the union" camp'. The result : has. been) the seoond strike within a few days .at' th6-,mines'; worked with .the of ■ tha Minors' federation. The Ebbw ; Main-men.: struck 1 last week because of the employment, of non-unionists,, at the mine. To-day the men at doling Wallsend refused .work because of an order from the executive ..of the federation, that they should pay a levy 'of; 10 per cent; .on' their, earmngil. Funds and Food Demands. - secretary of: their, / lodge . was' instructed by tho federation to .collect a' levy of ;10 per 1 .contain.;aid -of - the; federation funds. These are at. h rather'low ebb owing to';, the-continual: demands in" pro ; .yiding food for,-the .families, of .miners, on strike; \ When / tho secretary' endeavoured; to oarrjf out .his instructions,'.however;; he met with some .'opposition';';' Tho Young Wallsend men . had .: been .earning exceptionally good wages' since that; mine started, but as individualists they ber lieved' they were entitled -to keep' all they earned. They , informed,- however, that as good unionists, they wore expected to obey any l domauds by the executive, but the unaccustomed. feeling of indepen* deneo brought'about by tne fact , that they Ka3 u few pounds in their pockets— the. first:..for r-som'e 'weeks-niado • them much ■ less "amenable • to : 'this argument than they would havo been -a month ago. -They offered 7-5• per cent.,, but this was i!efui;ed. -mid - then; under protest, '.they paid; ise 10 per cent, \ ( Declined to Work. . 'TViththe. boaut'iful - reasonableness' of the, miner, . they', then cast about - for some means of getting even with tho federation. A "meeting -was; held,.'.and the outcomo of it was that the dog-watch shift'that was : to go oh at midnight'declined to,work. As. soon- as -tho i executive of tho federation oould.be communicated i with, thoy were informed, of, .'What had taken .place;, and an offloial was',sent. up' to, .investigate.', <\ Another imeeting of .the men was called;to-day, and the federation'. official pointed out to; them - the .errbr. of their ways. He . dwelt oil tho fact: thiit a unionist was- supposed to carry ..out. instructions,.. and that as the mine was allowed. ;td work only at the pleasure of tho'.Moration f.thoy -might' consider - themselves>• lucky that .they had any ,pay: at all to 'drau-,': He also drew ■ Their ;• attention to ; , the faot that other ■men could'-easily b'B' obtained- from .the ranks of tho federation- to fill their places. The strength of this ;argument appealed to. 'them-, irresistibly; aha they, then' agreed Uo' return' to work. . At: 3 o'olook this afternoon' the''whistlo was, again blown, and', theminers' went below;" ■■■■.-. ■ • '■ '