THE COAL CRISIS

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10589, 22 March 1912, Page 6

THE COAL CRISIS

BILL NOT ACCEPTABLE. ■SETTLEMENT AS FAR OFF AS KVKK. (United I'ress Association— By Kict trie Telegraph—Cow right.) (Received '.March 21, 11.-to a.m.) LONDON, March 20. The Miners' Federation Conference, contrary to the advice of the Excutive, passed a resolution that the mil would not he acceptable unless it provided a minimum oi live shilling's lor adults and two shillings for boys, aiul schedule rates for hewers, and the Labour party was requested to move th" necessary ■amendments. At the start there wore differences regarding the inclusion of the sehedu e for hewers, and t ; he Welsh and Scotch delegates combined and earned the point by a majority of twelve out ot a hundred and forty. . The Conference adjourned till i? ridav. * i ■Mr Hallam, interv.ieived afterwai <!s, said: — ' , "We art 1 as far from a settlement as ever." A conference of the surfacemen or Yorkshire and Derbyshire, representing; ten thousand men, pa&sed a resolution that unless the Rill includes a minimum wage for surfacemen the strike is t ocontinue. Middles'boroil gh is importing German coal for the Relief Committee, but the dockers re-fused _to unload -t. The Corooration was divided on the point, but the majority arranged for volunteers to unload the coal.

PRESS CRITICISM.

(Received Marc-li 21, 10.10 a.m. LiONIXLN, March 21. j The Opposition newspapers '-Inscribe the Minimum Wage Bill as in adequate and a s'liam. The Times considers that the public at present prefers a gentle isolution, but possibly radical treatment 'will be rcqiaivcd sooner or later. Owners generally consider the .• leasure to be.a makeshift. The masters in the federated aiea, who conceded the minimum last autumn, were encouraged to believe tba 1 the question was to have been fought out again shortly. Many miners regard the Bill 'is satisfactory, especially in North "Wales, where there is much di&tr^.-'S. THE GERMAN STRIKE. (Received March 21, <?■ 3 a in.) BERiIJTN, March 20. The district- conference of iniiiat Bochiun has declared the strike oil