NATIONAL MINING STRIKE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 13, 23 December 1911, Page 5

NATIONAL MINING STRIKE.

A BALLOT TO BE TAKEN. SyTclesraph-Press AsHociation-Conyrieht London, December 21. A confcreneo of miners resolved to hold a. ballot on January 10, and if a two-thirds majority favours a strike there will ba a stoppage of work at the end of February. DIFFERENCES AMONG THE MEN. (Rec. Dccembcr 22, 9.10 p.m.) London, Dccembcr 22. Tho Durham coal miners have declined toaccedo to the demand for an individual minimum wage, irrespective of the amount of work done. The Northumberland minors are dissatisfied with the federation's refusal to take action in tho short-shift question. This has created a set-back in the men's aggressivo policy, and may possibly lead to tho withdrawal of the Northumberland men from the federation. WHAT THE MEN ARE DEMANDING. A strong fooling exists among tho men employed in all the coalfields of the country (tho mijiin? correspondent of the "Manchester Guardian" writes) that the settlement of tho minimum wagij question on a. satisfactory basis cannot much longer bo delayed. The difficulty has arisen with respect to work which is dono in abnormal places—that is, places where, through falls of roof, water, dirt., or stone in the coal spam, particularly hard coal or other exceptional causes for which tho workman is not responsible, ho fails to earn by his output of coal on the ton wage-rate the average wage. Tho owners admit in principle tho reasonableness of the men's demand, but difficulty arises in arranging tho details of a. workable scheme.

Mr. linst, of the Lancashire and Cheshire Miners' Federation, who Eat in the last Parliament as LabAur member for Wigan, says:—We in Lancashire are dealing with the question of boys and daywage men as a separate question, for which we alone as a county are responsible, and for which up to now we have not asked for national interference. We are, however, joining hands with the other mining districts to press for a 7s. daily minimum wage for colliers. Notwithstanding that many counties have price-lists stipulating what shall bo paid when, men are working under difficulties, ana in tho northern counties they arc supposed to have county averages which & r °ro&ardcd as their , minimum, it is a tact that these averages are not realised by thousands of men in these respective counties. It is this which has led Northitmbcrland, Durham, and Scottish miners [if) agitato with equal persistence with the rest of Britain for a 7?. minimum, lo thy northern counties the proposed minimum will mean a considerable advance, as at present Scotland stands at bs. Durham at 6s. 2d., and Northumberland at 6s. 7d. Tho feelinj* in the northern counties in South AVales, and in Uncaslure particularly is that a struggle should be made to realise this principle, and the probabilities are that a ballot will be pressed for with a view to forcing a. "national strike unless in the meantime the employers either concede the minimum wage asked for or hold out to us somo hope of its enrly. realisation. In the early part of tho negotiations with the employers in Lancashire it was felt by the men s representatives that the employers were likely to conredo tho 7s. minimum, but at subsequent meetings the employers representatives rather receded from what the men's representatives had regarded as an actual promise to concede the point. We are suggesting that in all cases where the man complains that lie has been unable to earn the wage iiV i .' conditions the place shall be submitted to inspection by representatives of both the employer and the workmen with knowledge of the seam, and failing an .agreement by the parties inspecting the place the rase to be sub. nutted to a small committee, who shall act for a given area the decision of tho committee to bo final.