DRAWING TO A CLOSE

Dominion, Volume 20, Issue 43, 15 November 1926, Page 9

DRAWING TO A CLOSE

BRITISH COAL STRIKE “AS GOOD AS OVER’ MEN EXPECTED TO ACCEPT GOVERNMENT’S TERMS DISTINCT SIGNS OF TRADE BOOM ALREADY By Telegraph.—Press Association.—Copyright. (Rec. November 13, 5.5 p.m.) ‘ London, November 13. It can be said with more or less certainty that the greatest of all strikes, which has paralysed Britain for more than two years, is drawing to a close. Following upon dramatic conferences, lasting far into the night, from which the leaders left tired and worn out, the situation has completely changed. There were many adjournments throughout the night, at which the Government hurriedly conversed with the owners’ chairman and vice-chairman in another room. The Labour representatives were in close touch with the miners. It is declared that the odds in favour of a settlement increased from 10 to 1 on Thursday to 100 to 1 to-day.

In the meantime, 320,000 miners are back at work at the pits, which' is one third of the total. The average weekly increase for the month has been 25,000. The cost to the country has*been colossal. The loss on coal exports alone since the stoppage is £25,000,000, and on last year’s trade £40,000,000. Outdoor relief in areas directly affected has increased by £223,000 weekly, totalling £5,800,000. Only five steel furnaces are in blast compared with 147 before the strike.

There are various estimates of the loss on general trade. These figures are astounding, rivalling the daily expenditure during war time The cost of household coal has more than doubled, and hundreds of thousands of homes are without fires.

It is impossible to exaggerate the sufferings of the miners’ families. It has often been said that the miners have been the victims of a slogan, but against this Mr. .Neville Chamberlain (Minister of Health) in a speech at Glasgow to-night said: "When we see that the owners are not prepared to sit at a table and: discuss terms with their, employees, all we can say is that it is a very badly managed, industry. Such a spirit of antagonism is as unnecessary as it is suicidal.” With the changed situation, there are distinct signs of a trade boom. Industries up and down the country ate waiting to carry' out orders, while shipyards have received orders for fourteen vessels involving millions. To-day cabled advice was received, from Buenos Ayres that a British tender has been accepted fpr a complete system of underground tube railways worth millions. . CONFERENCE RECOMMENDS'■ ACCEPTANCE .. DISTRICT VOTE TO BE TAKEN London, November 12. The Miners’ Executive conferred ■with the Minister of Mines and reported the results to the miners’ conference, which by evening had not reached a decision. The conference adjourned till Saturday morning. as the delegates required further enlightenment. The principal bone of contention was the powers of the proposed independent chairmen in the districts, the members of the conference apparently objecting to anything savouring of compulsory arbitration. , (Rec, November 14, 5.5 p.m.) London, November 13. The miners’ delegates early this afternoon . discussed the Government’s terms by districts. There were sharp differences of opinion. Some districts wished to continue the fight, while others favoured acceptance of the terms because nothing better was obtainable. When the full, conference resumed South Wales and Yorkshire headed the fighting section. A vote was first taken as to whether the conference would recommend the districts to accept the terms. This was carried by 432.000 votes to 352,000. Tlie conference then voted whether the decision should be left to the districts or to the miners individually. The proposal for an individual ballot was defeated by 427,000 votes,-to 357,000. The results of the voting are to be returned bv November 18.. . ’ The genera! expectation in Government circles is that miners will accept the terms in view of the conference recommenadtion, and the strike is therefore regarded as being as good as over. The owners refuse to prophesy what the district owners’ associations will do * in that event, and confine themselves to saying that it will be a matter for each district to decide if the terms are economically practicable.

VIRTUAL REPUDIATION OWNERS’ ACTION CREATES SURPRISE London, November 12. The coal owners have, Issued a statement to the effect that the Government’s proposed terms of settlement as outlined to the miners were not theirs. The Government later made a statement explaining that the terms were no 1 based upon an agreement between the Government and the owners, but saying that if the miners accept them the Government will proceed independently with the necessary legislation. The Government issued a further statement that Mr. Evan Williams, the coal owners’ president, had assured the Government that the owners’ district associations would not object to the, majority of the Government’s terms. The statement added that the terms necessarily could not be agreed with by the owners because the owners had refused to negotiate as a rational association. The owners’ statement, amounting to a virtual repudiation of the terms, came as a complete surprise. The. Governm nt’s immediate reply, promising legislation in the event of the miners’ acceptance, removed the possibility of another collapse. Mr. Williams stated to-night that he had only communicated to the Government information received from the districts. He was further communicating with the Government with a view to clearing up the misunderstanding. LIGHT ON NEGOTIATIONS RESPONSIBILITY ACCEPTED BY GOVERNMENT (Rcc. November 14, 5.5 p.m.) London, November 13; Considerable correspondence has been published regarding the negotiations. A letter from the Department of Mines shows that Mr. Baldwin agreed to the deletion of the clause relating to victimisation. Mr. Cook explains that the Miners’ Executive thought this inadequate. Other letters relate to Mr. Evan Williams’s disclaimer and the Government’s reply.

Mr. Williams said that, he made it perfectly clear that he and other owners were appearing purely in a personal capacity in order to give required in•fi mation. He opposed the terms, because they were impossible for certain districts. Mr. Williams also gives a direct denial of statements attributed to hi.n in the Government communique. ■ The Mines Department’s reply to Mr. Williams states that the Government found consultation with the Owners’ District Associations impracticable, and were compelled to consult individual owners. They appreciate the owners’ declared objections, but the Government accepts full responsibility. The letter adds:— “It has been made perfectly clear to the Ministry that the Government’s terms are based on increased hours, and the Govci ment is unable to give a guarantee regarding working conditions." - ■■ ■ AS VIEWED FROM RUSSIA Riga, November 12. Dismayed at the probability of a settlement of the British coal strike, M. Lozovsky, in an article in a Moscow newspaper, urges the miners not to allow the Trades Union Congress to interfere. He declares that the psoition is not so desperate as to warrant suicidal steps. Britain's economic structure, he says, has been shaken to the foundations by tbe’loss of her foreign coal markets, and it Would be madness to allow Messrs. Pugh, Thomas, and Company to ruin the situation •tvhile there is still a winning chance.—‘‘The Times."