The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER MONDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 1916. THE COAL CRISIS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 90, 13 November 1916, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER MONDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 1916. THE COAL CRISIS.

The closing clown of the Broken Hill Company’s steel works, the latest of the luifortimate happenings which have come about as a result of the coalminers’ strikes in Australia means the cessation of munition steel manufacture for the British Government at a concern employing several hundred hands. It is incomprehensible that with so much at stake in the great conflict with a cruel and remorseless enemy, that even a tiny section of the community should be permitted to so| hamper affairs, or that there should be found a section of the people so 1 lost to reason that for a trifling mat-j ter they should act so disloyally to I their own flesh and blood. One can' only believe that some foul underhand enemy influence, through the paid agitator and stirrer-up of strife, has utterly blinded the men to the real j issues at stake. One of the worst features of the trouble is that thoi demand for eight hours bank-to-bank conditions (which appears to be the, reason put forth for disputation} was to have been gone into and adjudica-j ted upon by the Arbitration Court, in I the ordinary course of its sittings. Delays have certainly occurred, but so far as the published statements go, it appears that the miners have beeni in some measure to blame for failing 1 to carry out agreements entered into on their behalf by their regularly-ap-pointed representatives. The coal shortage, however, is a very serious matter for many industries connected with war supplies, and with shipping' and transport, and it is to be sincerely hoped that by some means a reasonable method of ending the trouble may be found so that our energies may again be wholly devoted to fighting our real enemies. There are hopes that •the Government of the Commonwealth in : -«y be able to find an opening by which the men will see their way to resume work, and for the sake of Australia’s good name we trust the settlement may speedily be brought about. fmwwpfi ■ w jmnwn^wiMwniy