"A CRISIS."

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9533, 3 July 1909, Page 6

"A CRISIS."

SCENE AT A MEETING OF COAL MERCHANTS. What the popular novelists would call "a crisis" appears to have happened at a meeting of the Coal Merchants' Association on Wednesday night. ,One of the members, Mr J. J. '.Purdie, State coal-carting contractor, went to the meeting, and, it is alleged, was pushed out. Another member says that a certain official caught Mr Furdie by the arm, and forcibly ejected him—"ran him out." It appears, sayathe Duuedin "Star," that State coal is the cause of all .the trouble. "Asa matter of fact," says'a member of the association,, "there is practically a boycott of State coal. It is taking on, and we don't like it. That's about the truth of the matter. Owing to Mr Purdie being State COal-carting contractor, he has to pay 2a a ton extra for all local coals. This, it is alleged, is the outcome of some agreement or understanding between the Co?lminers' Association «nd the Coal Merchants' Association.

According to the "Star's'.' informant, or six members enter-ed.-a protest against the action taken with regard to the contractor. It seems that they went to the meeting to enquire the reason of , his being notified by circular that he was no longer a member. This astonishecj him, so he went, and had his astonishment increased. A peculiar feature of the affair is said to lie in the fact that some time after he was escorted, pushed, or run out, the association carried a motion to the efEect that Mr Purdie's name be removed from the list of members] That fact is held to be proof that he was a member when he was refused admittance. There is a probability that a court case will fol low. To the public there is one very interesting thing about the meeting —the price of coals is still the same