A LABOUR SPLIT.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 701, 29 December 1909, Page 5

A LABOUR SPLIT.

. * MINERS SECEDE. pORM A CONGRESS OF THEIR OWN ACTION DECIDED ON. By Telegraph-Press Associatlon-Oonyrlirhl. \ (Rec. December 28, 9.10 p.m.) ' i Sydney! December- 28. Tho Northern miners' dolegatcs havo , broken away from tho Stnko Congress. . They held a meeting and decided to reconstruct tho Coneress as representative ] of the mine employees only. Tho meeting also resolved to tako action with a view to furthering tho cause of unionism and strengthening its position. ' (Tho miners are evidently dissatisfied ! with the attitude of the waterside workers, whosa president, Mr. W. M. Hughes, swayed the Strike Congress ! against a general strike. An open breach • between Mr. Hughes and the. miners' , leader, Mr. Bowling, followed. Mr. Hughes, and othor members of,the Strike Congress subsequently went on a personal mission to Newcastle, where Mr. Hughes repudiated on the platform the revolutionary ideas of Mr. Bowling," and bitter personal recriminations followed. Being now freed from tho ballast—or, as they regard it, tho handicap—of tho Strike Congress, a Bowlingite body of miners' delegates might adopt a far more aggressive policy. Tho disruption would appear to place tho project of a general fradcparalysing stnko beyond their reach, but a purely miners' body might influence the Southern miners against following the examplo of tho Western miners in returning to work, and might adopt a more militant programme all round.] SOUTHERN MINERS. AN EFFORT TO INDUCE THEM TO RESUME. , Sydney, December 28. Strik» matters' havo been quiet during the holidays. Tho position remains the same in tho Southern district, whore tho coal-miners struck in ' sympathy with tho Northern men, but, unliko the sympathy strikers in the Western district, have not yet returned to work. However, a number of prominent residents in the Southern ■ district are moving ;in the direction of bringing -owners and, men together. It is believed a ballot will shortly be taken' in tho Southern district on . the question of accepting a Wagos Board. •COAL SHORTAGE IN ; VICTORIA. Melbourne,, December 28. Within the next few days thora is a prospect of sonio of the large coastal passenger steaniors being laid up for lack of coal. STRIKERS' MISSION FOR FUNDS. DELEGATE IN WELLINGTON. To obtain assistance for tho coalstrikers in New South Wales is the object of the visit to Wellington of Mr. J. M'Willianis, vice-president of tho New South Wales Colliery Employees' Federation, wno arrived from Sydney yesterday: Other emissaries havo been sent to Western Australia and Queensland to gather funds. An appeal is also being made to colliery workers in England and America, and it is intended, to dispatch a cablft message to' Mr. Keir Hardie, the Eugliih Labour M.P. 'Mr. M'Williams states that when he left-Australia much -bitterness had been caused among the strikers by tho drastic amendments' which: had -been . mndo to the Industrial Disputes Act, the ponal clauses of which provide imprisonment without tho Option of a fine in certain cases. Mr. M Williams is '"to" 'ddd.ross a meeting in Wellington at an early date. Other centres aro.ta' bo' visited later.