NEWCASTLE COLLIERY STRIKE.

Evening Star, Issue 3121, 19 February 1873, Page 3

NEWCASTLE COLLIERY STRIKE.

The following is abridged from the Lambton correspondent of the Newcastle Chronicle, 13th January: —After a whole week spent in idleness, with any number of meetings, delegations, and diplomacy, the Lambton men have at last got to work, on the same terms they came out, with the exception of obtaining the ten hours —just the terms that wore offered to them by Messrs Morehead and Croudace on Saturday week. The delegate meeting on Saturday still refused their sanction to the men going to work without the sliding scale ; but the men, disregarding this, have boldly taken the matter into their own hands. It appears that the Lambton managers were so overjoyed at the step taken by their men on Saturday, that they for a short time opened all the public-houses in Lambton on Saturday night, giving 30s worth of drink at each; and as there are four hopses it amounted

to L 6 u'orth in all. However, the men regaled themselves very quietly, and the matter passed off without disturbance of any kind, much to the credit of the men themselves. At the delegate meeting on Saturday letters were read from two of the mining managers, setting forth that Mr Croudace had made overtures to the five collieries who,are associated on what terms he would join them; and these were —that they should do away with the sliding scale, take threepence per ton from the price now paid the miners fpr getting, and then he would agree to fight them (the miners). As I expected wnen I wrote this morning, men had been sent from Newcastle to fill coals lying in the tunnels, but it was no sooner known ihan there was a “roll up’’ on the hills overlooking Lambton and the Waratah tupuols, of men, women, and children. Visiting the scene about ton o’clock, I pould perceive the women and boys drawn up on the hill side opposite the screens, Upon which were posted six policemen, under Inspector Thorpe ; while the men, amounting to some hundreds, wore posted a little behind the women, on the crown of the hill. Every time a set of small coals were run down the incline, and the men were seen tipping it into the waggons, the women kept hooting, and occasionally a stone could be heard to rattle on the iron roof over the screens. About eleven o’clock, a large accession of strength arrived from New Lambton, making the sum total of men, women, and children, considerably over a thousand. After this, a rush was made by a large number of young men down the hill to storm the tunnels, but Mr M‘Laurin peremptorily ordered them back, which at first they appeared unwilling to do, and the posse of constables seeing the - determination of the men. left their perch on the screens and came boldly up to the fence, against which the men had all congregated in a perfect mob. Inspector Thorpe got up on the rail of tho fence for the purpose of spekkiug to them. While in the act of doing so, either a large stone or piece of sod just passed his head. In a moment he took out his revolver, and pointing it towards the crowd, threatened to shoot the first person he saw throw a stone ; but be was assured by several in front that it Mas only some mischievous individual, who would bo pyeventeef from throwing any more. - Mr Moody, without much persuasion, learning that steps were being token all over the district to stop tho men from filling coals, at once sent word . that they should be knocked off, for which he received three ringing cheers and a promise that the men should not be molested

when they came out —a promise which was kept to the letter, though the crowd * of jjcoyle wnitcdl patiently uatil they M

seen them (some twenty-five or thirty men) taken away in the van they came in. When this scene was over, the word was given. “ For the Lamb ton Colliery ! ” and the mob streamed away thitherwards, increasing its numbers as it went through the township of Lambton. On arrival at the colliery a halt was made a few yards outside the fence that surrounds the colliery. In a short time a rush was made towards the gate entrance, several of the colliery officials seeing which, with the assistance of one mounted trooper, rushed up to close and lock the gate ; but in a moment a surge was made against it, and being old it gave way, frightening the trooper’s horse, which turned on its haunches and greatty irritated the policeman, who attempted to draw his revolver, but uas ordered not to do so. The men then drew off a short distance, and opened a meeting, the women in the meantime hooting the colliers as they came out of the pit, it being just about changing time between the two shifts. About half an hour afterwards Mr Croudace arrived on the scene, pushed his way into the middle of the crowd of men, and, mounting the log beside the chairman, inquired what they wanted, and was told to send for the colliers at work in his pit to come out. To this he demurred, and, amidst much noise, endeavored to justify himself and the men who had commenced work to-day. Several questions wore put to him, and to one —whether he had given the sliding scale to his men —he answered that he had not, nor ever would, as he considered the sliding scale a great evil to the district, both to the men and masters. After a good deal of chaff and banter, Mr Croudace left the log he was standing on and went in among the body of men, and began arguing the question con amove, no one molesting him. In the meantime, word had gone into the pit that a demonstration was being made outside, and the men shortly afterwards left off work, and by one o’clock they wore all out.