N. S. W. COAL STRIKE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2666, 23 November 1909, Page 5

N. S. W. COAL STRIKE.

A COAL FAMINE AIMED AT - \United Press Association—Copyright '■* SYDNEY, Nov. 22/ ' - ' The delegates who interviewed Mr. Wade, the State Premier, made it clear that the miners will not consent £ to refer the disputes to a tribunal under the Industrial Disputes Act if the conference is abortive. Mr. Peter Bowling, in a speech at 1 Newcastle, indicated that the miners would fight the coal vend by means oi'. co-operative colleries. A general strike was not aimed at, but it was intended to set up a coal famine in Australia. THE PROPOSAL TO WORK UNION MINES. (Received. November 23, 12.55 a.m.) SYDNEY, Nov. 22. The strike congress is said to be considering the opening of the southern and western coal districts and working such mines at Newcastle as are not within the vend, with the object of crushing the combine. THE EMPLOYERS’ COUNTER-M^VE MELBOURNE, Nov. 22. The Steamship Owners’ Federation ha,s had several conferences in regard to the action to be followed if Mr Bowling’s scheme to work a union colliery is put into operation. As soon as operations commence the owners twillbe ready with a writ against the Coal Miners’ Federation, charging it with acting in restraint of trade. INTERCOLONIAL RATES INCREASED. [Per Press Association.! DUNEDIN. Nov. 22. The Union Steam Ship Company advises that an increase or ten per cent, in passenger fares and of 25 per cent, in freight rates will be made between New Zealand and Australia, commencing with the Moana this week. Coast.al rates will nob-be altered. MINING STATISTICS. We have not the complete returns for 1908 (says the “Telegraph”), but m 1907 the New South Wales coal miners were- located as under:— Men Total employed employed Total Coalfields under- at coat ground mines. raised. . tons. Northern ...9,692 12,486 6,058,580 ' Southern ...2,671 d,410 1,830,4J0 Western ...1,006 1,180 i_63,91J 13,369. 17,080 8,657,924 Last year the output was 9,147,025 tons, distributed as follows: — Tons. Local consumption ... 4,654,882. Other States ... 1,933,777 Oversea countries ... 2,000,000 9,147,025 The local consumption, including railways and shipping requirements, averages over 15,500 tons per business, day, and the extent to which firewood can take the place of coal is small, as household consumption, is a very small part of the total. STRENGTH OF OTHER - UNIONS. The following are stated, to be the strengths of the various unions that may be called ' out in sympathy with the miners:—• _ T ~ No. of Unions . Members Seamen’s Union # 4,338 Wharf-laborers Union Coal-lumpers’ Union ••• ,••• •‘■jUJ'U Newcastle Wliarf-laborers Union 509 Coal-trimmers’ Union ... 528 Newcastle Crane Employees Union ••• ••• “*, Trolley, Draymen, and Carters . Union ••• ••• • * I,^l Total 1:L > 408 The. members of the Seamen’s Union * are distributed throughout Australia, ■ so that the effect of the strike will make itself felt upon the coastal and interstate shipping industry of every Australian port. The strike .will>npt, howevex, affect over-sea ■ steamers, .which ..... a re - manned"'by other- -th'atr--Australian seamens . - -. If the -Trolley, Draymbn.' and Carters ■ Uniori the the. public ynll be greatly^inconyefifetic^u^ !■ 'vn&: stores in the city .willliver any goods/ Mr. mehtion. " ed that in one; 'Rf' the' -city all the delivery carta, with the exception of six, were driven by members of the union, and that purchasers would bo obliged to do their own delivery work. OUTLOOK IN THE NORTH. * The .possibility of the trouble in the /'State coal mines spreading to _the Northern collieries was mentioned ■ to .several gentlemen interested in > the Aucklana mining industry last Friday. Mr E. W. Alison, chairman of direc--itors of the Taujpiri Goal Mines, Limitied, said there was not the slightest m- . dication of disaffection among the men in the mines of the Auckland Province, and he did not for one moment antici’pate that they would go to the extent of striking in sympathy/with the Newcastle miners or with the State coal miners in , the improbable event or tne latter coming out. “There is a elearly defined course for the Southern men to adopt,” added Mr Allison- That is to refer their complaints to the, Conciliation Council, or, .if necessary, to A) the Court of. Arbitration, As far as Newcastle trouble concerned, Mr Alison said that, although J there was a big demand for coal for export, > all the local companies had declined / *to supply such orders, believing : such a course would be unwise at ' present juncture. As long 1 , trial amity continued there fear whatever that a docal-shortag - - . <coal. would, occur. The..available. . Pi; jply was enormously - ip: excess; oi-. .. , . d T&mg official of 4 r Coal Mines Company saKl .the. mmei s > of New, Zealand were well linked t<)g e ther, and there was no telling to > lengths the trouble 4he ,State ' liery might spread. There had been a ; slight movement among buy -r create stocks, and the compani • accordingly been kept busy ,sn. _ • outbreak of industrial Jiostihttes .Newcastle. The Huddart-Park Union S.S. Companies had arranged rox itheir inter-State steamers to coal Auckland, instead of going to _ . - •castle, next month, but no or

GABLE NEWS.

export were being accepted. Neither was it the practice to ship coal to the South Island, so that in the event of a ;strike '.there the Northern . miners might decide against coining out unless supplies were obtained from this (part of the Dominion. • : THE MEN’S VIEW. In explaining the. stand taken by the miners at Greymouth, Mr Manning, general secretary of the New Zealand Federation of Miners, interviewed, said the miners’ conference had expressed itself against trucking being done by miners, and had had an interview with the Minister, who promised favorable consideration of its request. In making a new agreement, the workers in the State mine simply desired their award to be in accordance with those in vogue between a number of coal companies, including all the Northern companies, and their men. The miners desired that. trucking should be made a sort of apprenticeship to mining, because it was undesirable, for two reasons, that men who had been working at the face should be taken from that work and set trucking. In the first place, trucking was rather tricky, and a novice or one who had not done _ it for some time ran greater risk of injury than the man who was regularly employed in trucking. In the second place, the man who had been working at the face had not been using certain muscles which came into play in trucking, and he felt sore when put on to this class of work. When the State miners suggested that the management should find truckers, a reduction was proposed in the hewing rate, and to this the men objected.