BLACKBALL MINES

Otago Witness, Issue 4033, 30 June 1931, Page 32

BLACKBALL MINES

TACTICS OF UNIONISTS CHRISTCHURCH, June 23. In their campaign against the cooperative party working on the Blackball Coal Company’s freehold projierty members of the State Miners’ Union at Blackball have adopted intensive boy cotting of any person who assists the party. This has been extended to Blackball's only picture theatre, and last evening when the miners who went to the theatre found that several children of members of the co-operative party had been admitted they’ refused to give the entertainment their patronage and returned home. The picture was shown to the children. Recently, when members of the union protested agaiust the chi I dren of co-operative miners attending the theatre, which is leased by the union to a syndicate, the management was obliged to ask the children to leave the hall.

Meanwhile, the co-operative party is making progress undisturbed and has taken into its ranks four additional miners, bringing the total to 27. More will be taken on next week. The party has inspected a building which the members intend to use as their own store, the union having threatened to withdraw its support of storekeepers who supplied the party with goods at Westport. No attempt has yet been made to have the coal mined at the Charming Creek and Cascade mines and which is lying in hoppers at the wharf shipped from the port since the waterside workers decided not to handle it.