Great Coal Strike.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVII, Issue 4505, 18 December 1909, Page 2

Great Coal Strike.

THE LEADERS QUARRELL. RIVAL FACTORS AT WORK, HUGHES V. BOWLING. MEETING BREAKS UP IN DISORDER. Sydney, December 16. Great disorder followed an address by Mr Hughes to a large meeting of miners last night. Mr Bowling accused Mr Hughes of not taking his colleagues into hi 3 confidence. He referred to his intention to address a meeting. Mr Hughes had tried to draw a red herring across the trail. He did not want a general strike because his own men would be called out aod he would be a criminal, like Peter Bowling. He believed a certain course would minimise the struggle. The present course was prolonging it. If the leaders would not call them out the men should come out themselves and tell the leaders what to do.

Mr Hughes again came forward amid a scene of disorder caused by the rival parties. He declared he had been invited to come by the Acting President. The Miners’ Federation had attacked no man, but nevertheless had been obliged to listen to a tirade of personal abuse and tittle tattle that would disgrace an Antedeluvian washerwoman. The miners delegates Strike Congress had kept them in the dark as to the true state of things. He moved for a general strike on the first day of the Conference unless an open conference was granted, because he believed that Mr Bowling had seized the psychological moment. When he looked into the matter he found the miners at Mr Bowling’s bidding had played a masters game. The statement that Mr Bowling was always anxious for a general strike was untrue. He moved that Congress give 14 days’ notice. Messrs Bowling and Hughes amid great disorder gave one another the lie. bpt Mr Patterson, the President of the Miners’ Federation, testified to the accuracy of Mr Hughes statement. Mr Hughes declared that Mr Bowline had said that if he (Hughes) would agee to work the Young, Wallsend, and Ebbw mines there would be no general strike, That was the bargain he wanted to make, There was tremendous uproar and the meeting broke up in confusion.