N.S.W. COAL TROUBLE

Hokitika Guardian, 20 January 1930, Page 5

N.S.W. COAL TROUBLE

STARTLING FIG URLS

(Australian Press Association)

SYDNEY, Jan. 18,

/Police census figures covering the death or injury by accident in New South Wales for the last year, are startling.

Eight people were killed weekly and over one hundred and fifty injured.

MINERS PROPOSAL

SYDNEY, Jan. 18

Undeterred by police action on Wedne-day, miners on Alaitland field decided to resume mass picketing. Fearing a move by the men, one hundred police, strengthened by ■ a flying gang and a wireless patrol stood by at Cessnock last night, during the assembling of a Communist meeting A conference of delegates from the lodge on the northern coalfields rejected the proposals for ’a general strike. The conference reaffirmed the policy of keeping southern, western and 11 nassociated northern pits at work to provide levies for idle miners.

FEELING AGAINST POLICE.

SYDNEY, Jan. 18

Remarkable prejudice against the police was exhibited at Cessnock hospital, when following complaints from a number of patients that a police sergeant had been admitted for treatment, tlie board of management decided to ask the authorities to remove t!m sergeant- to another institution. .He was later sent to Newcastle hospital. So bitter is the feeling that employees of Kearsleyshire Council refused to operate sanitary services at places where police are quartered.

PROPOSED CON KER ENCE,

SYDNEY, Jan. 18,

In an effort to settle the eoa.l deadlock, the Australian Labour Party have instructed the Secretary to convene a conference as early as possible of New South Wales Federal memleers of Parliament, New South Wales State . members and the Australian Labour Party executive.

FURTHER REPORTS,

MELBOURNE, aJnuary 19. The attempts to settle the coal trouble are still continuing between the Prime Minister, Mr Jas. H. Sculliii, the coal owners and the Premier of New South AVales. Mr T. Bavin. The parties have not yet found the basis for an agreement. SYDNEY, January 19.

About fifty. Communists assembled outside tlie Sydney Trades Hall to-day with the object of enlisting names for a '“Workers’ Defence Corps The members of the Kurri Kurri Coalfields Pipers Band gathered tohead a procession through the street but the police suppressed the procession, and tlie crowd then went into the Trades Hall, where a resolution was carried, pledging themselves to form a Workers’ Army to combat “the bosses’s tactics in every sphere.” BRITISH COAL FOR. AUSTRALIA. Four cargoes' of British coal aggregating twenty-seven thousand tons have been sold to Australia during the present week.

BY N.S.AV. GOVERNMENT

SYDNEY”, January 19

There has been retrenchment in the railway services, which has been responsible for the retirement or the dismissal of two thousand employees during the past four months. It is now announced that scores of other railway employees must go, because the Government is unable to raise the funds to continue its works policy.

CONFERENCE ABORTIVE

(Received this day at 8 a.m.) /SYDNEY, Jan. 20

It is understood here that a Conference of parties in the coal dispute, convened by the Prime Minister in Melbourne, was abortive.

Air Bavin is returning to Sydney to-morrow, and attends a special Cabinet meeting which will develop pla: s for re-opening additional coal mines with volunteer labour. It is also stated that the Premier is intent upon suppressing so-called withers’ defence corps.