THE COAL STRIKE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 235, 10 November 1909, Page 2

THE COAL STRIKE.

Llh\ S'J'UCICS. <■ THE CASK i'oil THE MIXUIUS. By Cable.—Press AMOcialtua.— I Lop,vrig« Sj ami}, Xovcm..ei- 8. .Every coal mine iu tin- northern ulstint w deserted; twelve thousand MOD left work. The suddenness of the striM is attributed to tliu fuel that the c«wu owners' stocks wore low. It « lleV j that the railways have enough COM for two months, the gas company tor month's supply and the Kerry companies I enough (or six weeks. . The interstate -hiding compaaiei appear to have pracucally no. The proprietors believe the Bt "' ;e * * last until after Christinas. lJw eral public irf wondering as tf> wl 'at tn» upheaval is due. -Vuu/ miner* tlieuiselves scarcely know what they "re out for. Grievances they have always " 4< *> but no specific demands lately have bt*«_

made to the proprietors. | Mr. l'cter Howlin, the miners' seett 1 - J > tary, speaking at a lodge meeting' saw J indignity after indignity hud bi*ni thrust upon members of the Federation! ' light throughout the district. He liadl ' been told by proprietors that thej 1 would just as soon fight them as nijH The' men had borne these indignUH ! until they could stand tjiem bu loqM They had been compelled to cavill wIM ! blacklegs and blacklegs had got wojH 1 This they had stood lor twelve montlj The proprietor tried to force tlieni |H fight, but now they were ready to figH 5 and they would beat them. The decisioM r they liad come to was a dramatic on«| but was the only course left open. Ml eording to the advices of the executive, the stoAs of coal are lower than at any time. During the last strike, the miners had referred their claims to * Royal Commission,' and a "one-eiwfl Judge" had given his decision against them and against the weight of t donee. He mentioned that to show now much justice they could get from a classI! ridden judge. If ever there was a time a to light this was the time.

A PURPOSELESS STRIKE. STEAMERS LAID UP. Received Nov. 9, 1.5 a.m. Sydney, Monday. The southern and western mines eontii ue working, 'hut delegate! attend • conference of the three districts tomorrow. The. coal lumpers and whan Inlorers also meet on Tuesday. The northern miners to-day appointed a sub-committee to draw up a lilt 01 grievances for which they (truck. Till Tact is that if the proprietors were U siiv to the men to-night, "What are y« lighting fort Tell us specifically and Wi will concede it," the men would have ti | postpone their ans-wer until they hai j drawn up a list. i Several steamers, including the Wait! j mata, have paid off their crews and ar !.\id up. Firewood has advanced SO per cent,

NO INTERFERENCE. ■ THE OWNERS""*GIKEJ^NCE^B Received Nov. 9, 10.10 a.m. Sydney, Last NightM Coal advanced from 10s to 16i in SflH iicv yesterday, while up to £3 per tt is nuked in Newcastle for the best. One effect of the strike it that <M hundred coal trains daily have cetM running in the northern districts, idUl two hundred men. The waterside workers await the d ciklon of to-day's conference of minei delegates before making any move. Some of the northern co-operative I cieties have agreed to supply the strike and their families with the necessarl of life. j4l Peter Bowling, the miners' aecretaf declares that members of Parliame will not be allowed to interfere in t! dispute in any way. The president of the Colliery Propri tors' Association says that the propri tors nave their grievances as well m t! men, and these will have to be sett! before the miners resume Work. Th cannot go back on the same terms tliey came out on.

One prominent proprietor declares th the owner* are going to flfbt out I matter this time themselves. No offt of intervention by the Government anyone else ore likely to be favorab considered.

EFFECT IX MELBOURNE. Melbourne, Last Night. I lie strike is not likely to serious affect tile railways o r the city gti au 1 !y for some time, as both hive stoc o? coal that will keep them going I some weeks.

Some shipping and maiiufacbi (inns were caught short-handed an! feel the pinch unless there ii a spl settlement.

A meeting of the Chnm!>er of Man fruturcrs discussed the situation, and I solved to urge upon the Government ti necessity for opening up the Vietorii ton l fields at the earliest opportunity.

THE MIXERS' RESOLUTION.

OPEN COXFEREXCK ASKED FOR.

A (iEXEUAL STRIKE POSSIBLE.

A SEBIIOUS POSITION.

Received November 10, 12.40 a.m. Sydney, November 9. 1 he miners' strike conference coacltti ed to-night. The following resolution were adopted:—

That the proprietors of the northeri western, and southern coal district be asked to meet the representative of the Federal Coal and Shale Worl ers of Australasia in open conferral immediately, in order to redwu tl existing grievances, 1 hat in the event of such confcrenc not meeting before Tuesday next, tb delegates representing the' WateniiJ and Maritims Unions, Coal Lumpeii I n on, and Coal Trimmers' Union n commend their members and all tfcoi engaged in the transport trade* t cease work on that day. Mr. Hughes, M.P., president Waterside Workers' Union, in uiS ing the resolutions to the J>rsw, state the resolutions were come to after tho* present had carefully listened to th ease put forward by the miner*. It be came perfectly dear that, while It migh have been possible to have postpone the matter for a little while, a coidl j turn of things l existed, and tiud exi»te< ■ for a considerable time at Newcastle which made it impossible for the mei Ito continue work. A policy of pig | pricks had been pursued for a loni while. Some of the pinpricks had gom very deep and were, he thought, de I liberately made for the purpose of pro , voking such disturbances as this for I [ purpose hy employer*. .Speaking foi I himself, ho went to the conference ratliei I disposed to censure the precipitous action of the miners, hut he came out witli the conviction that the position had been deliberately forced on them. As things were it was only a matter of a few days —« fortnight at the outside—when fullv half tie persons employed throughout Australia would be unemployed and on the verge of starvation through tlie luck of coal, Under these eireumsUnres it was felt that the only hope lav in u conference of the parties'.

ONE EFFECT OF THE UPHEAVALS,

By Telegraph.—Prom Association. I Duncdin, I,a»t Niglit. Spoivkiiiji to a Times reporter vestcrday, « gentleman, well informed in niiin. ping matters, stated tlint one effect of tiie frequent industrial upheaval! in thl Vew South Waes coal trade u thai Nowonath' oonl is losing ground in f]J Eastern I'acifii', and iB being replaced b1 Inner grade coals from Japan and else? where. The result is neither in the interest of Newcastle owneiv nor miner*, lie also, expressed the opinion that if the uncertainty as to supplies continued similar experience would follow in other markets.