THE AUSTRALIAN COAL STRIKE

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 264, 14 December 1909, Page 2

THE AUSTRALIAN COAL STRIKE

CLOSURE OF THE MINES. HEPORTED DECISION OF THE PROPRIETORS. COAL FOR THE GASWORKS. iy Cable-Press Association—Copyright Sydney, December la. Mr. Hughes' states lie has been informid 011 good authority that the Northern ivoprielors lave decided not to open tdieir mines before February 5, and that •very proposal for a settlement before that date will be refused. Some owners leny any sueh decision. The coal secured will keep the city r,is going till the middle of January, i'lie Gas Company has given its employees till 'noon to-day to decide if they will unload the company's coal. A meeting of Newcastle wharf laborers Arrived at a similar decision to uie Sydney union's decision. ilr. Howling, addressing a meeting at Kurd Kurri, said the waterside workers must come out. That was the only way to effect a settlement. The report of the Director of Labov shows that at the end of Noveinhei nearly 9.100 were idle ill tlie various trades other than mines. Since then the number has greatly increased. AN INVITATION DECLINED. TRIAL OF THE STRIKE LEADERS Received 14, 0.5 a.m. Sydney, December 13. Whistles were blown for work at th< «outhern and western collieries to day Not a single miner responded. The northern miners also showed nc inclination to go back under the condi lions suggested by the Premier (Mc Wade), The hearing of the charges againsl Bowling, Brennan, Burns, Lewis and Grey commenced at Newcastle today There was a gvea't crowd of Btrikeri inside and outside the courthouse. There was no demonstration. The Crown charges the five accuset with being "persons of evil minds anc dispositions who unlawfully and wicked ly conspired, combined and confederated to" instigate employees coal-miners coal lumpers and coal trimmers—to acl in the nature of a strike." With the as sietance of documents found at tU( Trades Hall and elsewhere accuseds' con nection with the events leading to tht 6trikc was traced.