FATEFUL CONFERENCE.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 April 1921, Page 5

FATEFUL CONFERENCE.

WHAT TRANSPIRED THERE, MINERS RESENT THE DECISION. PRIME MINISTER’S THANKS. London, April 15. Received April 17, 5.5 p.m. The miners’ executive has adjourned the members proceeding to the various districts to confer with the local branches. They re-assemble in London on Thursday. Details of the conference which led to the abandonment of the strike show that Mr. Thomas (railwaymen’s representative) in the morning informed the miners that they should accept Mr. Hodges' proposal, and under the circumstances he did not feel like calling out the railwaymen. The majority of the executive of the transporters were of the same opinn . but the majority of the miners strongly opposed this. Mr Hodges offered to resign, but later withdrew the offer.

The railwaymen and the transporters returned to their headquarters and continued the conference alone. The discussion then developed into an acrimonious wrangle before the fateful decision was taken. When the result of the vote was announced it favor of the cancellation of the strike an uncanny silence prevailed for almost a minutd before an angry shout of “traitors, you have left your pals in the lurch,” arose from the extremists. Apparently it was the transporters, with one or twb railwaymen, who carried the cancellation resolution rather than postpone ment. As one transport delegate said: “We are sick of the whole damned business.”

Mr. Hodges has been severely crossexamined regarding his offer ,to members of the House of Commons, and was forced to apologise for apparently receding from his attitude of the previous night. Mr. Hodges came out of Unity House looking very dejected. He went to the miners’ headquarters and joined his colleagues, while Mr. Thomas notified waiting journalists that the strike was off.

Meantime the House of Commons had no idea of the fiasco being enacted elsewhere until Mr. Lloyd George, Mr. Asquith, and Mr. Clynes • had spoken. Mr. Lloyd George learned the news officially when the executives of the railwaymen and the transporters wrote to him, and he replied: “I am gratified to learn that your unioiis do not propose to resort to an insensate method of attempting to compel judgment on the question of wages by paralysing the industries of the country, bringing suffering to millions of innocent people, while the Government is urging a saner method of negotiation between the mine owners and the miners regarding the amount of the disputed wages.” Interviewed afterwards, Mr. Cooke (South Wales member of the miners’ executive), said: “We have been betrayed by the Triple Alliance, but we shall go on with the fight as we are.” Mr. Tqm Richards, asked for a -frank opinion of the railwaymen and transporters, said: “It would be unprintable.”

Mr. Straker (Northumberland secretary), declared: “I am speechless about it.” Mr. Hodges has decided to summon a conference of all the coalfields’ representatives forthwith. The feeling among the miners is that Mr. Hodges went beyond his brief in making the offer he did.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.