THE COLLIERY STRIKE.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 301, 22 September 1888, Page 4

THE COLLIERY STRIKE.

The Sydney " Morning Herald " gives the following summary of events in connection with the colliery strike : — The strike among the -colliers in the Northern district continues, and the outlook is indeed gloomy. Efforts at conciliation have beenjmade, and the masters and miners have met in conference, but the end of the conflict seems far distant. The men decline any compromise, and say in effect that the masters must accept the terms they offer or the struggle will continue. After the failure of the efforts of the Rev. Canon Selwyn and his co-mediators to secure a settlement, matters were brought to a complete deadlock, and Canon Selwyn was assailed by the men as an enemy of the miners. By the general public this attack was regaided as an evidence of ingratitude to the man who had worked so impartially in the interests of peace. Who was to remove the deadlock was a problem which for some days occupied the public mind, and by a consensus of opinion the Hon. Mr Brunker, the Minister of Lands, was selected to conduct the negotiations. Mr Brunker had previously taken a prominent part in the mediation movement, but had always given the place of honour to the Rev. Canon Selwyn. In furtherance of Mr Brunker s efforts Mr H. Bucknan, the Mayor of Newcastle, wrote to the miners' delegates, requesting them to render to Mr Brunker all the assistance they could to bring about an honourable settlement. Negotiations then proceeded, and Mr Brunker secured from Mr Curley, the miners' General Secietary, a promise to the effect that the miners were willing to appoint a sub-committee to meet the masters' deputies. The meeting took place "in Sydney on September 4, and the result was that the masteis agreed to meet the men, as desited, in open conference, and unconditionally. The conference took place in Newcastle on September 7, and was carried on with c osed doors. The proposed agreements of the two parties ~were then laid upon the tab c, and copies of each were handed to the different parties. The proposals were not discussed at all, but short speeches were made by Mr Gregfeon and Mr Cuiley touching the strike, and some points bearing upon it. After an hour's sitting, the conference adjourned until the next morning. When the miners' delegate entered the room where the adjourned conference was to be held, the reporters who weie present followed, and asked if there was still any objection to their presence. Mr Giegson and the other masters replied at once that they had none. On the contiary, they were specially anxious that the press should be there to fully report everything that transpired. Mr Goundry stated that the miners did not object, but advanced no reasons tor taking the step. The reporters then retired. The door was then closed, and the discussion of the two proposals opened. The miners declined to accept the first clause in the masters' agreement, and a short adjournment w as made to enable them to consider thematter. When the conference resumed the delegates announced that they had no definite proposal to submit, but in the way of a suggestion they named a 61t. seam as the minimum, with an accompanying sliding scale which provides for the increase of the miners' wages by 6d per ton. As the proposal only came by way of a suggestion, and the committee felt that before putting it in writing it was necessary for them to go back to the full delegate board, there was only one course open, and the conference immediately adjourned until the following Thursday. Prior to separating, however, the chairman of the masters and the secretary for the miners briefly intimated their objections to each other's clauses, and these objections were very numerous. In connection with the strike there have been some very disgraceful proceedings. One of the first efforts of the partisans of the Northern miners was an attempt to sow dissatisfaction among the miners employed in the Southern collieries. It was partially successful, for two disgraceful acts were committed in the workings of one of the Southern mines. They had been putting down a bore at the bottom of a shaft, in oider that the water from the shaft might run into the workings below. " One of the rods was lifted out of the bore, and a piece of steel diopped to the bottom. The effect of that has been to utterly ruin the work for the present. A few days since, a tire was discovered under conditions which led to a suspicion that the mine had been set on fire. It was a diabolical attempt, and the fire must ha,ve cost the individual considerable difficulty to kindle. Luckily the fire was soon ex tinguished In the case of three of the Southern

collieries, a demand has been made by the men for an increase in the hewing rate. The present rate was fixed when the selling rate was Us lOd, or 12a per ton. Since then the price has fallen to 10s 3d and 10s j 6d ; but throughout the masters have paid the full rates, and have not, as they were entitled, m>tde any reduction. Now that there is a temporary increase in the demand, owing to* the Newcastle trouble, the men make this demund for a higher rate, ignoring the fact that two-thirds of the output from the collieries have boon engaged for months to come, and in some cases for over a year at the low prices referred to. The demands that have been made upon the managers are for an increase of 6d per ton upon the present hewing rate, to work less hours, per day, and to force the owners j to discharge any man who will not join the Union. They alsodemand that broken daj s, quarter and half shifts, shall be paid for as full days. In one case, thai of a colliery not bound by contracts, an otter of 6d per ton advance upon the present rates has been made, and in another colliery an advance of 3d per ton has been offei cd. In the other collieries no offer has been made. What may be the issue oi the demand cannot at pi*esent be conjectured.

lSxcilin? Scenes. The wilful acts in the south were soon followed by a series of degrading scenes in the Northern distiict. On September 4th the attention of the whole di&trict was centred in the doings at Greta, where the men brought from Sydney were made the objects of hostile demonstrations. This scene was followed by another disgraceful occurrence at Wickham, where a contractor named Sullivan boughtlOOtonsof coal from Mr Hugh Walker, the proprietorof the Lin wood collieiy. He started the work of filling the trucks with nine men, and the woi k pi'oceeded satisfactorily for two hours, when the miners from Wickham and Bullock Is and began to assemble and intimidate the men. So long as their number was limited they were comparatively quiet, but when fully 200 of them had collected, an agitator came out from the ranks of the stiikens, and appealed to them to stop the work, and thus exhibit " a spark of manly spirit. ' The men took no notice of him, and this incensed the crowd, whose appearance and actions were suggestive of something desperate in the event of the non unionists' retusal of their requests. The men worked on without interruption, and Mr Sullivan stood by, completely callous and indifferent of the savage mob who jeered and hooted and otherwise attempted to heap ridicule on the earnest toilers. When they grew tired of this means of intimidation, they resorted to the desperate arid dangerous method of throwing coal and half-bricks at the mell. Fearing injury, live of the men threw down their shovels, and the miners showed their appreciation of this step by cheers, and doubly vicious groans by the other men, who stuck boldly to their broad-bladed 1 coal implements The proprietor of the colliery despatched a messengertolnspector Brennan, at Newcastle, and Sub-inspector Lynch was quickly on the scene with a dozen constables. Before their arrival the miners contrived to slip the lynch pin of one of the full trucks, and thus ran 6 tons of coal over the railway line. Another instance of disgraceful conduct was given in the way in which a j oung man at Newcastle, named Gaynor, was set upon by a mob of roughs. In order to get away from them he ran among the empty trucks, but his pursuers followed him with such determination that he was compelled to seek protection in an office. They yelled after him in the chase like a pack of hounds, and surrounded the office. The police came up after awhile and took Gaynor to the city watchhouse. The mob ttill followed, and even waited a considerable time outside the police station in a most defiant manner. He told the strikers that he was in want of money, and offered to cease if they paid hi 3 day's wages. This they refused. Boycotting is general in the district, the shopkeepers beiner threatened with the loss of custom if they serve the " blacklegs," and lodginghouse-keepers are not allowed to give the non-union men accommodation. Altogether the condiiion of the Northern district is very disturbed. The masters are determined that the mines shall not remain lonjj idle, and the feeling is general among them that if the men do not agree to resume work at the close of the contereience, concerted action must be taken to obtain men. In three cases cabled commissions have been sent to England for the engagement of miners for three yeais, with the payment of their passages to Australia, The effect of the strike has been serious for Newcastle. Trade there has been stagnated. Coal in the colony has been increased in piice, and the Sydney Gas Company have announced that they will not supply fresh houses with gas until the termination of the strike, and that they do n it apprehend being able to supply j |,as for domestic purposes much longer ; but an effort will be made to provide gas for street lighting.

delegates to be Despatched t o the Otaer Colonies. The miners' delegates ha\e held further sittings relating to the future of the strike. It is understood that arrangements have been completed for despatching delegates to Sydney, Tasmania, New Zealand, South ■ Australia, Queensland, and some of the • larger cities and towns in New South ; Wales, f'oi the purpose of stating the miners' cause, and soliciting subscriptions for the strike fund. It has been decided 1 that Mr Cm ley, the General Secretary,shall . have charge oi Sydney inthis matter.