THE BLACKBALL STRIKE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9037, 2 March 1908, Page 4

THE BLACKBALL STRIKE.

It is hardly to be wondered at that since the Government thought fit to override the decision of the Court in connection with the Denniston miners' dispute there should have been manifested among the unions in various parts of the dominion a feeling of disregard for the law; nor is it surprising that a strike should have occurred among a section of the West Coast coal miners so soon after the Premier and Mr Millar gave the Arbitration Court a slap in the face. This time it is the Blackball miners who have shown the futility of the law to prevent strikes, and the community will watch with interest even with anxiety—the attitude of the Government in dealing with the recalcitrant workers. The strike has already existed several days, but no step has yet been taken to put the law in motion, though it is semioffically announced that "in the event of an almost immediate settlement not being arrived at the Government will not hesitate to carry out the law against those who have broken it." Meanwhile officials of the Labour Department are being sent to the spot to investigate the matter. The immediate cause of the trouble is that the manager of the Blackball Coal Company, having decided to work the mine only eight hours a day and so dispense with overtime work, has dismissed a number of miners as superfluous. The rest of the miners—numbering upwards of 100—have resented this action, and gone out on strike, throwing the mine idle. They demand the re-instatement of the miners, with payment for the'time lost; also that future dismissals shall be by ballot. The Company is willing to re-instate the men if the strikers return to work at once, but daclines to make th 2 other concessions. The men refuse to go back to work upon this compromise. The serious position of affairs as regards the operation of the Arbitration Ac*; is that messages of sympathy and offers of support are being sent from many parts of the dominion to the strikers. The only way to demonstrate the efficiency of the Act is to allow the law to take its Doubtless to do so would piove very embarrassing to the Government, but it will prDve more embarrassing; to Ministers if they do anything to further weaken the power of the law.. Ministers, however, have not to be considered in a matter of this kind;, it is the com- ! munity at large that must be considered irrespective of its affct upon party poiiticj.