THE NEWCASTLE MINES

Otago Witness, Issue 2808, 8 January 1908, Page 27

THE NEWCASTLE MINES

SPECIAL COURT" SITTING.

UNSATISFACTORY RESULT.

SYDNEY, January 2. Owing to a section of .the employees in the Pacific and Rhondda. collieries, in the Teralba' district, the Dudley colliery at Charlestqwn, and the Killingworth colliery, near West Maitland,' ceasing to work, the mines have been thrown idle. The cause of the, trouble is the rate o/ wages to be paid* from to-day. January' 3. Th« situation at -NVtrcaetl* ie again becoming grave.' Six mines are now idle. ■ „ The men demand --an advance of 4d per ton. It is believed that if the strikes are not ended to-night the owners will not go before the _ special court arranged by the Premier to meet on Monday. January 4. Altogether nine of the Newcastle mines (including the Lambton, Burwood, West WalJse'nd, and Northern Extended) have been rendered idle/ The" Premier (Mr Wade) hasjwired to th« president of the .Miners' Federation (Mr P.Bowling) urging the" resumption of work, and pointing out that he could not emphasise too strongly, the, gravity of the situation. ' , ' t The wharf labourers' strike at Newcastle continues. The strikers demand an increase of their wages to Is 3d per hour for day work and to Is 9d per. hour for " night work. - The crews, assisted by the permanent wharf hands, are slowly .-discharging th« vessels that arrive at Newcastle. The Union Company has paid nonunionists employed to .discharge i.he s.s. Wakatipu (trading between Sydney andHobart) the rates demanded by th« strikers. . January 6. The colliery- proprietors will place the whole of their troubles before the special court to-day, but_ it is feared that unless the miners show a conciliatory attitude the proprietors will withdraw from the court. Excepting the Rhonda, Pacific, Northern Extended^ Northumberland, and the fou* Teralba district pita, all tlje mines wera working to-day. ;When the special .court met the miners' representative argued- that the Teralbt miners were entitled to a' rise of 4d. If they, were . given this they . would , return to work. "■ Counsel for the proprietors claimed, that the men were only to, and had , been v offered, an increase of 2d until jtha •court had fixed a permanent rate, but the offer had been refused. The men had stopped work notwithstanding the term* of the Premier's proposals— that existing conditions should continue until all dis* putes had been dealt with by the court. The proprietors contended that such a position, was preposterous, and that it wag useless to go further .with the present court or a JRoyal Commitsion. After argument, the [.'miners' represent tative agreed to accept" a^ rise of 2d, buY the^ proprietors declined to accede to thiS| contending that the whole matter was now before, and should be left in the hands of, the court. . . Nothing definite had been decided when the court adjourned until to-morrow. The position is considered critical. NEWCASTLE, January. 5. No-change has taken place in the posf-'. tion of the colliers' dispute, and to-mor-row's conference" is anxiously awaited.