BROKEN HILL DISPUTE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3137, 13 March 1909, Page 5

BROKEN HILL DISPUTE.

JUDGE HIGGINS' AWARD. BUSINESS MEN AND MINERS SATISFIED. Received March 12, 9.38 p.m. MELBOURNE, March 12. Judge Higgins occupied two hours to-day in delivering his arbitration award in the Broken Hill dispute. Great interest ~w*e«~taken in the matter, and the Court was crowded. Basing his award on the deduction that the cost of living was £2 4s 5d on the Barrier and £2 2s 6£d at Port Pirie, Judge Higgins fixed the minimum wage for unskilled labour on the Barrier at Ss 7*d and at Port Pirie at 8s 3d, and for miners at both places at 10s per day for 48 hours work per week. The award, which lasts till 1910, leaves the contract system at present in operation untouched. The award upholds the claims for increased wages, but makes no order as to mining companies continuing operations. Judge Higgins said that he fully recognised the terrible nature of the catastrophe that would be caused if the Proprietary Company stopped working, and recognised to the full his responsibility in the matter, but, according to the General Manager, the Company had not more than two yeara and a half of full work before it. If a catastrophe did not happen to-day it was bound to happen very soon. The business men and miners at the Barrier express satisfaction the award, but there is gome fea? among the men that the big mine wiU not, resume, operations,