COAL CRISIS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1374, 27 February 1912, Page 5

COAL CRISIS.

PROSPECTS BRIGHTER,

OWNERS WILLING TO GRANT MINIMUM. ■ MR. ASQUITH'S MEDIATION. By Teleßrfßh-Vrcsj AGsacialion-Oopyrlzhl (Hop. February 20, 10.10 p.m.) London, February 2G. The newspapers report that there are brighter prospects of ;t settlement of the mil)■.n<r trouble. There is now some likelihood of the South Vales, Scotch, Durham, and Northumberland owners falling into line with Hie Federated Minors' Union, and recognising a minimum wafre. There lias been inucli comment on the Government's four days of negotiations, which it is alleged have been wasted. It is explained that tho executive of the -Miners' Federation told Mr. Asquith on Thursday that he was not empowered to confer until lie had consulted the National Conference. -Meetings were held on Saturday and Sunday to elect delegates to confer on I Tuesday, when Mr. Asquilh is expected to address tli'o confercnce. A leading Derbyshire mine-owner states that the last chance of averting the striko is for Mr. Asquith on Tuesday to ask the miners to postpone their notices, end to ask tho owners to deal with abnormal places immediately, leaving the question of a minimum wage to be negotiated afterwards. A movement against a strike has arisen among tho Warwickshire miners, and ailother ballot will bo taken this week.

BIG FIRMS READY TO CLOSE, CATASTROPHE AT SOUTHWARD London, February 25. An increasing number of large firms have notified their intention of suspending operations in the event of a striko. The closing down will involve the Chatham railway works at Ashford, the NorthWestern works at Crewe, tlie Glasgow Steel Works (at which 10,000 men are employed) and tho Welsh T'inplate Works (employing 30,000 persons). The Electric Lighting Company at Southward has stored thousands of tons of coal in view of a possible strike. The largo quantity stored caused a wall to collapse, and tlie coal fell into an alley where children were playing. Two were killed. Tho Prime Minister, in reply to Mr. Field, Nationalist M.P., said he was unable to regard favourably tho* suggestion that the coalfields should bo nationalised. Mr. Iveir Ilardie, Labour M.P., stated in the HouSo that only the concession of the men's demands could effect a settlement. Tho miners wero not going to ho influenced by Mr. Lloyd-George like tho railway men had been. The sending of troops implied that tho miners were hooligans and blackguards. Tho executive of tho Lancashire and Cheshire Miners' Union lias instructed tho delegates to Tuesday's conference to refuse to suspend tho strike notices.

THE NATION'S RIGHT. SHOULD IT BE HEARD AS A THIRD PARTY? London, February 25. The Lord Mayor of London (Sir Thomas Crosby) presided at a conference of Mayors of tho United Kingdom. All tho large towns wero represented. It was resolved that the claims of the community outweighed any conceivable difference dividing tho negotiations in tho strike dispute. Several speakers urged that tho rights of the nation as a third party should be heard.

POSITION IN GERMANY, ARGUMENT AGAINST A STRIKE. (Rec. February 20, 9.25 p.m.) Berlin, February 20. Twenty meetings, covering 370,000 miners on the Ruhr coalfield, have resolved that the increase ill wages has been insufficient to eompensato for the increased cost c-f living. Tho men have authorised their leaders to take steps to secure tho concessions demanded. A Christian Miners' Association manifeslo deprecates a sympalhetic strike wifli the British miners, both on political mid national grounds. The British miners, It is declared, by their ambiguous -ttitudc in connection with tho German strike in 11)05, are not deserving of support. They then seized every opportunity to aplure the markets, thus forcing the German; to work short time when they resumed. The Christian miners number 83,000,

EFFECT ON FRENCH TRADE. . Paris, February 25. The coal strike threatens to paralyse many industries largely relying iu English coal.

THE MINERS' BALLOT. SPEECH BY UNION PRESIDENT. The official figures of the miners' ballot were disclosed at the meeting here to-day (says the Birmingham correspondent of the" "Daily News" of January 19) at the •■oiifercnco of the Miners' Federation of Great Britain. The. majority in favour of handing in notices represents considerably mora than "the two-thirds" requisite under tho rules of tho federation, so that, unless couciliation prevails before March, there will be a national strike. The precise question which the miners were asked to answer was: Arc you in favour of giving notice to establish the priuciplo of a minimum wage for every man and boy working underground in the mines of great Britain? The figures are: I'or 445,801 Against 115,921 Majority in favour 329,880 The only district giving a majority against a. strike was Cleveland, where tho voting was: "For," 2021 ; "agninst." 5225; majority, 3201. It will bo seen that tho total vote was exceptionally heavy, 501,522 going to the poll nut of a possible 010,000. Despite, howover, the overwhelming nature of tho vote, there is tho general belief that no appeal to arms will be jioccsaary. Mr. Knoch Edwards, M.l the president, in opening the conference. t.-> which the press were admitted, made the significant statement: ' "1 don't think you will quarrel with mo 'if I express a desire from this chair that ourselves and the other sido-the eollierv people—will bt< sufficiently imbued with the desire for the Weal mid welfare of everybody as to find a settlement of this question without dislocating the trade or bringing in'its train the poverty and misery tnat must iollow a strike." "Among the many miners conferences we have had," the president added, "this is to all of us the most, serious and important one ever yet held. I am satisfied that everv delegate £oels the full responsihilitv that re=ts upon him, and I am persuaded that vou will act fairly by tho grut interests you represent and towards the men who sent you here. All of us are imbued with a desire to do what wo conceive to l>e right, and while it should be no business of mine In quarrel with people otherwise, 1 think I may emphasise this, thai there i? no disposition i r intention in this conference to do what ivs believe to be n, wrong fither to our own men or to anybody else. Tliii is a mtrnor-

ahlo city; it wilt I>c iniule moro memorablo bv this mooting. 'Thorn is » pretty goncrnt ngrooment among ns ns to the point: \w aro mot. to Mr. IMwanls wont on to Fay, "them is pvotty gonornl ngroomon in principlo with ovorybody, T think, u'hothrr nmnnK thoso who work in tho coal pit: or tho ; o who do not, that tho mon who do should not l)ft put to the niconvonioiuo and annoyaneo of iinding no monoy whon thoy havo worked. that, 1 iake it, is tho oliit'f ronton why wo nro horo, ami in seeking to find a wov out wo shall do it with the 1)D?I' of toning" towards everybody." Subscqnontly the conference discussed tin* fdtmiiion in private, and nn ndjoiinimout. was made tilt the i'ollov.*ing morning.