LABOUR TROUBLES.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9645, 10 November 1909, Page 5

LABOUR TROUBLES.

THE NEWCASTLE STRIKE

SHARP RISE IN PRICE OF COAL.

RAILWAY HANDS IDLE,

nited Press Association—By Electric TclejL-a. v b

Copyright. Received November 9, 10 a.m. SYDNEY, November 9.

Uoal advanced from ten to fifteen shillings per ton in Sydney yesterday, while up to £3 is asked nt Newcastle for best coal. One effect of the strike is that a hundred coal trains daily have ceased running in the northern districts, sending two hundred men idle. The waterside workers await the decision of to-day's conference of miners' delegates before working any move. Some of the northern co operative societies have agreed to supply the strikers' families with the necessaries of life.

Mr P. Bowling, the miners' secretary, declares that members of Parliament will not be allowed to interfere in the dispute in any wav.

The president of the Collary Proprietors' Association say that the proprietors have their grievances as well as tne men, and these will have to be settled before the miners resume work. Ihey cannot go back on the same terms as they came r>ut on.

One prominent proprietor declares that the owners are going to fight out the matter this lime themselves. No offers of intervention by the Government or anyone else'are likely to be favourably considered.

HOW MELBOURNE IS AFFECTED.

Received November 9, 10 a.m. MELBOURNE, November 9. The strike at Newcastle is not likely to seriously affect the Victorian railways or the city gas supply for some time. Both have stocks of coal sufficient for some weeks. Some of the shipping and manufacturing firms have been caught short handed, and will [feel the pinch unless there is a'speedy settlement. A meeting of the Chamber of Manufactures discussed the situation, and resolved to urge upon the Goveinment the necessity of opening up the Victorian coalfields at the earliest opportunity.

RESOLUTIONS OF STRIKE CONFERENCE.

"A POLICY OF PIN PRICKS."

Received November 10, 12 40 a.m. SYDNEY, November 9.

The Miners' .Strike Conference concluded to-night, when the following resolutions were adopted: —"That the proprietors of the Northern, Western, and Southern coal districts be asked to meet the repreesentatives of the Federal Coal and Shale Workers of A ustralasia in open conference immediately, in order to redress the existing grievances; that inthe event of such a conference not meeting before Tuesday next, the delegates representing the Waterside and Maritime Unions, Coal Lumpers' Union, and Leal Trimmers' Union, recommend their members and all those engaged in transport trades t> cease work on that day.

Mr Hughes, M.P., President of the Waterside Workers' Union, in announcing the result ions to the press, btated that the res.ultions yjereeome to after .the conference had carefully listened to the case put forward by the miners. "It became perfectly clear that while it might have been possible to have postponed the matter for a little while, a condition of things eixsted, and had existed for a considerable time, at Newcastle, which made it impossible for the men to continue work A policy of pinpricks had been pursued for a long while. Some of the pinpricks had gone vey deep, and were, he thought, deliberately made for the purpose of provoking such disturbances as this. Speaking for himself, he Went to the Conference [ rather disposed to ensure the precipitous action of the Miners, but came out with the conviction that the position had been deliberately forced on them. As things were it was only a matter of a few days—a fortnight at the outside—when fully half the persons employed throughout Australia would be unemployed, and on the verge of starvation through the lack of coal. In these circumstances it was felt that the only hope lay in a conference of the parties with the object of arriving at a settlement.

MINERS' LABOUR EXCHANGES

EXCITEMENT IN GERMANY,

FEELING IN FAVOUR OF A STRIKE.

Reaeived November 9, 9.40 a.m. BERLIN. November R

The/ Garman mine owners have organised a miners labour exchange with twelve branches, besides a head office at Essen, the headquarters of the Krupp 6staolishment. Excitement among the miners in consequence of this step was never so high save during the strike of 1889. There is a strong feeling in favour of striking against the measure.