RUMOUR OF A COAL STRIKE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 909, 31 August 1910, Page 6

RUMOUR OF A COAL STRIKE.

ON A BIG SCALE. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) Auckland, August 3li. "Is there likely to be a big''coal strike soon?" is a question that has been agitating many . minds lately. Many hold that the Federation of Labour is,, going to causc an upheaval, and colour is lent to this supposition that a big strike, is impending by a letter -lead at a meeting of the Northern TVairoa Hospital Trustees yesterday. Messrs. J. J.. Craig, the wellknown coal merchants of Auckland, wrote asking tho committee if they could take ten tons of coal now-for stock, as there was a probability of trouble in the near future. . . ... Since a remark made some time ago to the effect that ■ there would be a strike in the coal trade about. September, there has been a feeling of uncertainty as to whether.' there was any reason for such a statement. At first it was thousht that there was nothing in the : matter, but,' since then, the fact that a number of miners' unions have withdrawn from the Arbitration Court, has been considered somewhat significant. At the same time, inquiries made amongst the men by persons in the coal trade havo failed to elicit any information about a strike being contemplated. Still, as a precautionary measure, a number of\firms have laid in stocks of coal, to be ready in the event of the men deciding to go out. This course has also been adopted by the Auckland Harbour Board, as'about 1000 tons of coal are to be stored at Calliopo Dock merely as a precautionary measure.