THE BLACKBALL STRIKE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9076, 28 April 1908, Page 5

THE BLACKBALL STRIKE.

ADVANTAGES OF STRIKE PAY. ONE FAMILY RECEIVES £$ 10s PER WEEK. A STRIKER SAVING MONEY. BI TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION. GREYMOUTH, April 27. There were great hopes of a settlement of the Blackball strike on Saturday, when a conference was held between the President and Secretary of the Union, the Hon. A. R. Guinness, and the mine manager. It had leaked out that the Company were prepared to grant the half-hour crib time, and from all appearances nothing remained to keep the men out on strike.

At the conference the manager stated that he was prepared to grant the miners half-an-hour crib time provided the mine was worked on the same conditions as before the strike. The Union representatives agreed to accept the manager's terms as far as the half-hour crib time was concerned,- but refused to allow the strckers to work ten hours. The Union were prepared to allow two of the truckers who had responsible positions to put in the er.tra time, but wanted the miners to do the rest of the trucking. This the manager would not agree to, as it meant redcuing the output of the mine and running a risk of accident owing to allowing men to undertake work they were unaccustomed to.

The manager's conditions were put before a meeting of the Uniun, and it was decided by G4 to 4 not to accept them, and remain out on strike.

The decision was arrived at by open voting. It isallged that Mr Hickey gave the miners to understand that they would get just as good support on the trucker question as on the crib time.

The only point in dispute was the half-hour cr>b time, and now that that is settled the men advance the plea of the truckers. The truckers before the strike were anxious to work the overtime, as they received time and a half for it, but now the Union will not allow them to do so. Since the strike commenced between thirty and forty miners have left Blackball for fresh fields. Conseqeuntly the strike fund is only divided amongst those remaining. It is stated that the sum of £8 10s finds its way into one home weekly. The father gets £1 10s, the mother 10s, the four sons (strikers) £1 10s each, a'ld two children 5s each. One miner gives it out that he is saving money out of his strike pay.