COAL STRIKE.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 May 1921, Page 5

COAL STRIKE.

SETTLEMENT

TEMPORARY ARRANGEMENT.

APPOINTING AN ARBITRATOR.

£y Telegraph.—Press Assn. —Copyright. Received May 6, 11.30 p.m. London, May 5. The Daily Mail states that the Labor Party in the House of Commons, and a group of private members of the House, held a conference and formulated proposals which will be submitted to the Government. These proposals are designed to e secure a temporary coal settlement. The outstanding feature is the proposed appointment of Mr. Arthur Duckham, a member of the Sankey Commission, as arbitrator. A lobbyist states that this action followed from authentic information that the miners in Lanarkshire, Northumberland, Durham, Nottingham and Derbyshire earnestly desire to resume work, that the miners’ executive is hopeful of renewed intervention at an early date, and that the Miners’ Federation would accept Mr. Duckham’s appointment.— United Service.

RIOTS IN MANY CENTRES.

PREVENTING TRANSPORT OF COAL. SOME SERIOUS DISTURBANCES. Received May 6, 7.40 p.m. London, May 6. There is a marked recrudescence of rioting in the strike areas. Miners at Hill-of-Beath colliery, in Fifeshire, blocked the railway lines to prevent coal transport. A military guard has been sent to the place. Demonstrations against safety men have been resumed in several parts of the Rhondda Valley, where two hundred police are on duty. Twenty-five motor lorries laden with coal and proceeding from Wigan to Rochdale, werS surrounded by an excited mob, who removed the coal and damaged some of the lorries.

Miners’ efforts to prevent the sale of slack for industrial fuel led to serious disturbances at CradFey Heath, in Staffordshire. The police made three baton charges, one man being injured, while three were arrested. Similar trouble occurred at Halesowen, Worcester. Miners, armed with picks, formed a procession to Accrington to prevent the public removing coal from an outcrop, but the police persuaded the miners to leave, promising that the public would not be allowed to take such coal. —Aus. and N.Z. Cable Assn.

RESTRICTIONS ON COAL. London, May 5. Owing to the coal shortage the Government is prohibiting lighting by gas or electricity in towns of less than 5000 inhabitants, except so far as is necessary for police requirements. In the larger towns- lighting must be reduced to 25 per cent, of normal. Power for tramways must be reduced by 25 per cent. The Government has also prohibited the further supply of coal to breweries.