BRITISH COAL CRISIS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17686, 25 July 1919, Page 5

BRITISH COAL CRISIS

<>■ WORK RESUMED :[N MONMOUTHSHIRE. TEN THOUSAND MEN RETURN. Pr«» Aeration—By Telegraph—Copyist. LONDON, July 23. J. en thousand Monmouthshire miners uavc resumed work.—A. and N.Z. Cable. MINISTERS CONFER, WITH OWNERS. SOLDIERS GUARD PUMPING STATIONS. STRIKE BY~WINDING MEN. . LONDON, July 23. (Received July 24, at 4.5 p.m.) Mr Lloyd George and other members of tho Cabmot had a long conference with tho coal owners. Soldiers wearing trench helmets aro guarding the pumping stations, and bluejackets, are arriving in lorksnire in motor cars. _ The winding men have struck, so that it is difficult to lower men to the pumps — A. and N.Z. Cable. i " TRIPLE LABOUR ALLIANCE. STRIKE BALLOT~DISCUSSED. . LONDON, July 23. Ihe Triple- Labour Alliance discussed a resolution by Mr Frank Hodges, of the Miners' Federation, for a strike ballot in the event of the Government not conceding the demand for the nationalisation of coal mines and the non-interference of the military in disputes.—A. and N.Z. Cable (Received July 24, at 8.15 p.m.) The alliance carried Mr Hodge's resolution by 217 votes to 11.—A. and N.Z. Cable. REDUCTION IN EXPORTS. FRANCE TURNS TO AMERICA. ~ _ , PARIS, July 23. AL Loucheur, Minister for Industrial Reconstruction, speaking in the Chamber of Deputies, said that Britain had intimated that coal difficulties necessitated a reduction in the export from 77,000,000 to 23,000,000; also that the arrangement had been abandoned for supplying France at the price sold in England, but Britain now offered France 9,000,000 instead of 18,000,000 tons at 135 francs per ton. France unsuccessfully protested, and arranged to secure coal more cheaply from America.—A. and N.Z. Cable. RAILWAY SERVICES CURTAILED. . EFFORT TO SAVE THE MINES. THOUSANDS OF VOLUNTEERS. LONDON, July 23. (Received July 24, at 8.15 p.m.) The Coal Controller has restricted householders to lewt for each delivery. The railway companies have notified the public that it is necessary considerably to reduce the passenger services and that it may be impossible to guarantee bringing back holiday-makers from the seaside resorts. The pump men and engine men at three mines in South Yorkshire have decided to resume -work so as to avoid damage to the pits. Thousands of mining engineers and others are offering to replace the strikers in order to save the mines. Ten thousand Notts miners have struck, and the Nottingham streets are unlighted. A few miners are working in Durhamj but 30,000 are out in Derbyshire. On the other hand a mass meeting at Burnley (Lancashire) adopted a resolution to resume work forthwith.—A. and N.Z. Cable. PIECE RATES CLAIM. EARLY SETTLEMENT HOPED FOR.

LONDON, July 24 (Received July 25, at 1.25 a.m.) .An early settlement of the miners' piece rates claim is hoped for in some quarters. It is pointed out that the men's demand for an increase of one-seventh had been conceded by many of the owners before the Coal Controller awarded 12i per cent. Possibly the controller will allow a settlement on a one-seventh basis \ and N.Z. Cable.