The Coal Strike

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 210, 4 March 1912, Page 5

The Coal Strike

ANGRY MINE-OWNERS. SOME EXPRESSIONS OF OPINION. Hy Cable—Prau Association—Copyright. London, March 1. Lord Joiccy states that the capital employed in coalmining does not yield more than 5 per cent. Mr. Arthur Markham says that the net profit does-not exceed Sy a i per ton. and that the miners' next great fight wfll be for a seven hours day. Mr. D. Thomas, of the Cambrian Combine, says the Premier's statement ia the greatest triumph for revolutionary syndicalism that has yet occurred in Britain, and not until the Act is enforced will South Wales owners cease their opposition. Mr. Stanton, the Welsh leader, says: "We are looking forward to a happy time, and will soon get our own way. We can spend the time in the picture shops, stay in bed as long as we like, and generally enjoy ourselves." Replying to Mr. Keir Hardie, Mr. McKenna (Home Secretary) said that troops were ready to be sent to South Wales if real necessity arose, but the executive of the South Wales Federation was calling on all its members to preserve order.

A MILLION MEN IDLE. TRADE STANDS STILL. London, March 1. The strike is in full swing, and a million men are idle, including surfacemen. Lack of coal is hampering innumerable industries. The blast furnaces at Middlesborough and in Scotland have closed. A hundred thousand colliers in Scotland have struck. Fifty steamers are lying idle at Glasgow, owing to lack of coal. Scottish excursion trains to England nave been cancelled.

The English railways are declining liability arising from delay to traffic. The iron exchange at Birmingham -is at a standstill, and most ironmasters are closing to-morrow. There is much excitement.

Spinners in Lancashire hare a fortnight's supply of coal. The Admiralty has chartered two 6000-ton steamers to fetch American coal t The conferences in London were re■tuned, t but have now been suspended till Monday. Sixty-eight per cent, of the owners now favor the minimum wage.

•The Morning Leader says that Liberal and Conservative employers in the House of Commons are apprehensive that if the minimum wage is granted to miners, other classes earning less than the miners will urge similar claims. The Morning Post (Conservative), emphasising the fact that compulsory legislation will be futile, contends that a vietory fo'r syndicalism will be a disaster of the first magnitude, and it is the Government's paramount duty to protect free labor. The army, territorials, and reserves should be used to ensure the handling of coal and the working of the mines if necessary. It recalls if. Brian's action in smashing the railway strike in France. The Standard (Conservative) says the Srinciple of the minimum wage is inerently vicious and susceptible of disastrous extension.

THE CONFERENCE FAILS. THE MEN ADAMANT. London, March 1. The miners declined the Premier's invitation to again meet the owners, saving that they stood firm to their demands. Mr. Asquith. in the House of Commons, announced the failure of the conference, and promised a fuller statement on Monday.

"A GIGANTIC BLUNDER." ' STRIKERS' UNCOMPROMISING ATTITUDE. • EXTREMISTS OVERBEAR THE ; MODERATES. SHARPLY CRITICISED BY THE PRESS. Received 3, 5.5 pjn. London, February 2. Negotiations have been suspended to enable the delegates to obtain the views of ,their districts upon the guarantees for a fair day's work. The newspapers of both parties sharply criticise the miners for refusing to adopt the Premier's proposal. Mr. SmiHie, who is the brains of the present movement, has been the chief spokesman throughout. Messrs. Edwards, Abraham, Ashton and Burt, the older leaders, have evidently lost their influence. The Daily News states that the decision of the Federation was reached without discussion. The schedule was obtained after a division, wherein a bare majority of the extremists overbore the moderates.

Mr. Churchill, addressing the Eighty Club, warned the miners of the injuries that would be inflicted on the public. At South Shields, where 7,000,000 tons of coal are shipped annually, business is at a standstill, and many thousands are idle. Five thousand at Sheffield are idle, and forges employing 40,000 will close on Monday. Armstrong, Whitworth & Co. announce that- they are closing immediately if settlement' is delayed, as they hold practically no stock of coal. All the Cardiff ironworks will close within four days. The Derbyshire iijonworks have closed. The Great Central Railway refuses to dSliver coal in transit to Sheffield, as■frting that they have the same statutory powers to seize coal for their % own purposes as was exercised in the strike of 1893, subsequently paying the market price. masters have granted the Lancashire weavers a 5 per ceat. advance. Mr. Smillie, interviewed, said the Government asked the miners' representatives to justify the schedule. They would do this, but could not negotiate with a view to a possible solution, as the executive of the Federation were unauthorised to agree to a reduction. The owners must first signify their acceptance of the rates. He continued: "We have already reduced the figures to the lowest point, and are not prepared to leave it t3 the Government officials to say what 13 a reasonable minimum." The Government says that the stiff and uncompromising attitude of tne miners has grievously disappointed their friends. The prevalent impression in the House of Commons is that the miners have committed a gigantic blunder. Hitherto public opinion has been wit.i them. Their demand for nothing but the schedule rate will alienate pub.ic ■ympathvThe Dailv Telegraph says the nation is confronted with the simple, straightforward threat that the Miners' Federation will break the country if they cannot bend it.

The Dailv News says that the miners have now put themselves in the wrong. The Government cannot permit all the details of settlement to be imposed on a national industry without any examination.

THE DEMANDS OF THE MEN. REVIEW OF THE DISTRICTS. THE MIDLANDS MEN FOR PEACE. The London Daily Telegraph on January 13 published the following statement regarding the demands and views of the various mining districts:— Generally speaking, the feeling in the Midland counties is on the side of peace, though actually many of the men—the precise proportion remains to be seen—have unquestionably voted for a strike. As a matter of fact, there ,i very little unrest or agitation in this important area.

Practically, all real grounds of discontent have been removed in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, also by the granting of minimum rates for colliers working in abnormal places. This represents a great advance in the conditions of employment, and has been welcomed in that light by the men. When a miner is working under normal conditions he can cam a wage with which he is fairly content, and it is the "abnormal places" question which is the root cause of much of the present agitation. In the circumstances, therefore, Warwickshire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire would probably be satisfied with a few small adjustments which should present no great difficulties.

In Staffordshire, where a minimum of 7s per day for coal-getters is asked for, the trouble would probably be settled if an agreement could be reached as to the wages of men when working under abnormal conditions. At any rate, this is the chief bone of contention.

POSITION IN THE NORTH. Northumberland miners desire a 2% per cent, advance, bringing the minimum up to 30 per cent, above the 1879 basis, which regulates wages in the coalfield. The men have shown themselves quite ready to support the agitation for a minimum wage, but a distinct rift in the lute has been caused bv the refusal of the Federation to permit the threeshift system to figure in the ballot. This system is held to be in practice destructive of family life, as members of one household are sometimes employed on all three shifts, and there is good reason tojbelieve that an alteration of existing conditions in this respect would remove a grievance about which tht men feel very deeply. Anyhow, they have resented the exclusion of the question from the ballot so much as 4.0 lead a number of them to vote against a strike or to abstain altogether from taking part in the ballot as a protest. Dissatisfaction on the same score also prevails in Durham. A ballot taken in that county not long since revealed a large majority in favor of the three-shift system, and the men rather resent the fact that the question is not to be fought out in connection witn* the present agitation. There is very little unrest in the Lancashire coalfields, where, thanks to the good relations between employers and workmen, it has been found possible to adjust differences which have arisen from time to time without much friction. Local arrangements are in force at tne present time, under which workers in abnormal places are paid 7s 6d or more per day, and these appear to give full satisfaction. But there is a desire that the system of payment for work under difficult conditions should be placed on a more certain basis. Given that, the possibilities of a compromise are distinctly hopeful. In the meantime, Lancashire seeks a minimum of 7s a day. SOUTH WALES. The demand put forward in South Wales has, broadly speaking, been for a guaranteed wage of 8s per day. Up to within the last few days the attitude of the men's leaders has been that a settlement of the abnormal places difficulty would not satisfy them, but the minimum must be guaranteed, whether men are working under normal or abnormal conditions. If proposals such as these were seriously persisted in, it is clear there could be no possibility of averting a stoppage in the South Wales area. But happily there is some hope that more moderate ideas may replace those which have hitherto animated officials of the Federation.

POSITION OF THE MASTERS. How determined are the coalowners to resist the general minimum wage claim for every workman, irrespective of age or capacity, is demonstrated by a speech made by Mr. D. A. Thomas, managing director of the Cambrian Collieries Combine, and formerly Liberal M.P. for Cardiff, referred to the decline of half a million tons in the coal exports from Cardiff during the past four years, and said he believed not only the coal-owners but the public throughout South Wales were weary of the way in which, notwithstanding all their energy and enterprise, the trade of the district was being driven away, and the volume of coal exports from the United States and Germany increased by the incompetence and folly of the leaders of the workmen of South Wales. While the coalowners were entering this struggle with the greatest reluctance, the position of Jiim.self and his colleagues might be summed up in this phrase, "We don't want to fight, but, by jingo if we do " There was hardly a month that the subject of non-unionism did not crop up, and not only the companies, but the public, had to suffer because half a dozen men would not join the Miners' Federation. He believed in the principle of collective bargaining, but he would like the miners

to elect as their leaders men who were prepared to accept the responsibility of their position. The present was not a question of wages, but of morality. It was the employers' defence—and it might be their line of attack—that once a bargain had been entered into it ought to be kept.

He predicted that if a settlement were, arrived at without a struggle, it would be upon the lines of improved to the men working under abnormal conditions, and the other compromise would be the levelling up of the lower-paid wage men. This had been suggested by himself, but in the council room he would continue to raise the still, small voice of reason in the direction of insisting upon some evidence that the men realised the sanctity of a bargain when it was once entered into, and also that the workmen might rely upon the fact that the coalowners would never agree to the minimum wage as they put it forward, and never would consent to any arrangement under which the incentive or stimulus of the collier working in a place where he could not be supervised was to be removed. THE MINIMUM WAGE.

It is understood that the men define the meaning of the minimum wages as follows: — (1) The descending of the pit and the remaining at the coal face to do a day's work shall establish the right of a workman to receive the average wage of the district. (2) A committee, consisting of an equal number of representatives, chosen by the owner and the workmen, shall be appointed in every district to consider and determine any disputes as to wages and working places. (3) The only exemptions from the payment of the average wage of a district shall be in the ease of "workmen who, by reason of age or physical infirmity, are unable to do a full day's work. The coalowners in many parts, however, assert that the way out of the difficulty is not by way of the minimum 1 wage, but by an adequate scheme to deal

with the hardship complained of by the men, and admitted by the employers—work in abnormal places. "Let the men," say the colliery proprietors, "join with us in devising a method to deal with these exceptions."