COAL STRIKE

Hokitika Guardian, 28 December 1929, Page 5

COAL STRIKE

NEW MOVE BY N.S.W. MINERS

(Australian Press Association)

SYDNEY, Dec. 27

Surprise demands, which are designed to create an interstate dispute, have been served by tbe Australian Coal and Shale Employees’ Federation upon all of the Western and Northern mine owners, and have also been sent to the mine owners throughout tlie Commonwealth. The demands are for an increase of ninepenee per ton in the hewing rates with proportionate increases for the contract workers, and with the wheelers to be paid elevenpence half penny per ton extra, with a further twopence for each forty yards to be wheeled over one hundred yards. The Federation asks tluit the wage be not loss than 25s Id per shift, and that any contract worker failing to earn £5 10s per week through no fault of his own shall have his wage made up to that amount. The hours demanded are forty weekly and bank to bank, with payment weekly, instead of fortnightly, and it is asked that these conditions operate from the Ist of January next. One coal owner commented that no mine in the Commonwealth could pay the wages demanded. He said the claims were made ns absurd as possible so as to create an inter-State dispute before the High Court hears the coal case on January 6th. ROTHBURY RESUMES. SYDNEY, December 27. Rothbury Colliery resumed work today, after two days holiday. Everything is proceeding smoothly. The Chief Justice, Sir Adrian Knox, was engaged all day in the preliminary hearing of evidence and argument on the coal owners* applications to test the validity of Judge Bee by’s Federal Arbitration Court coal awards The Chief Justice is appealing to the parties to avoid technicalities which should he left for the High Court to deal with. ' MINERS DECISIONS. SYDNEY, December 23. At a combined meeting of miners and London representatives at Newcastle, it was decided to institute a labour defence corps in the north. It was also decided to give the executive certain powers to (leal with the Rothbury position. Other decisions at the meeting indicated a strong trend towards militancy. Mr Scullin’s proposal to subsidise production while a new award vas being formulated met with scornful, unanimous rejection. Continuous picketing of all closed nines wns agreed to. pA. motion for a general strike, however, was defeated.