N. S. W. COAL STRIKE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2673, 1 December 1909, Page 5

N. S. W. COAL STRIKE.

IMPORTANT ACTION BY STATE GOVERNMENT.

■.PROPOSAL TO TAKE THE .OUTPUT

OF MINES

(Received November 30, 9 p.m.) SYDNEY,. Nov. 30.' When the Assembly met, Mr. Leo, Acting-Premier, made a statement of the Government’s intentions in regard to the strike. Ho said that in view a possible general paralysis of business, there was a serious possibility of large interests of the State being so crippled that it-would take many years bo restore-them to their normal condition. All the Government’s efforts to bring the* parties together having failed, and realising that the patience of the community had been tried to the point of exhaustion, the Government proposed to-intervene directly. Action would bo taken to command the- whole output of the mines now at work with which: to supply the community'. The Government would assert its right to take as much coal as it wanted, and care would be taken to protect the public in the'matter, of values. While the Government -was loth to interfere, unless those acting for the miners and owners did not in the immediate future meet and offer a .solution of the trouble, the' Industrial Disputes Act would be enforced, involving the penal clauses and the appointment of a Conciliation Board. While relying on the good sense of the miners and owners, it must bo clearly understood that if efforts were made to protract the situation, the Government was determined to expend every means allowed to bring about a settlement. The statement' had the concurrence- of Mr. Wade and the whole Cabinet.

After some desultory- debate, Mr McGowen moved that the methods proposed by the Government to deal with the industrial troubles were absolutely insufficient to meet public requirements. - ■ •

At Mr. Lee’s request, owing to the acuteness of the situation, Mr. McGowen agreed to proceed with / his motion without any adjournment. (Received. November 30, 11.35 p.rn.)

Air. Leannouth was informed that the proprietors could not consent to his suggestions for a conference unless the miners first consented to return to work.

SPEECH BY THE LEADER OF THE

OPPOSITION

December 1, 1.5-a.m.) i Mr. McGowen admitted that Government intervention, in the strike was .the correct attitude, and was endorsed by his party. What he wanted was an explanation of the Government’s expressed determination to exhaust every power it was constitutionally authorised to use- to bring about a settlement. The refusal of this explanation forced him to move a censure motion. 'The Government declared that it would take the whole output of coal, ant the 'railways alone took 2000 tons daily, so of what use would be;the output of the two mines now working. He complained that pressure was to be brought to bear, not upon the mine owners, who declined the olive * branch, but upon the miners, who were willing to go into conference. THE MINERS’MINE. j rV The story of the “Miners’ Mine,” an interesting venture which was in its wav an experiment in practical Socialism is told by the- British consul at Lyons- in a report lately issued.- The history of this enterprise wdl be read with interest in view of the working of mines on .the co-operative principle in New South Wales. “The autumn of 1908,” says pur consul “marked the close of an interesting but ill-starred experiment, in .practical Socialism —that 1 of the Miners Mine’ in, the Loire coal/basm, which • was commenced in 1891 and heralded as *S ■ marking the inauguration of a new gol:c den age of industrial' co-operation. A,' - concession, consisting of four pits, co-?> venn" an area of some 183 .qcres, ii;id..been "obtained at a .low price from a Paris banker,' and subscriptions flowed in from all sides, including - one. .of £2OOO from''; ‘’-the •’'■“Petit; Journal, which fathered the enterprise/the same amount from the Government, and £4OO from the town of St Etienne The essential point of the statutes of the new; society was that all profits •were to be divided among the workers m “Dissensions and difficulties were not long in making their appearance, and . * practically never ceased until the final ; closing down of tic pits. The chiefs these disputes arose, from the tot that, soon after the opening of the mine, tiie regular members of the society began ’to get., in- outside men to help. These auxiliaries gradually grew to consider. +hem°elvcs just as much shareholders as the original members, and therefore equally entitled to share in the profits. • Moreover, it not infrequently happened Sat when funds weredow'an all round pro rata reduction had to be. made.-in wages—-an arrangement which caused dissatisfaction among, many of the men who, being unable apparently to D rasp the principles of co-operation, ed their full wage. TVhat they apparently .failed altogether to grasp was that the principle of co-operation involved their taking the rough times Wl “TlS e quar?el h marked -the beginning \ni- the end. .Quarrels followed thick and fast: chairman after,.chairman was •elected,, only to -be intrigued against; and forced to • resign— the year 1905 : witnessing the ejection and deposition of no fewer than five. m Seno.us fires am . two of the pits contributed to hasten the inevitable crisis, and the hard timps that followed—iii: which- the whole jot the Loire basin ' suffered—found the ‘Miners’ Mine’ least of all able to make . 'head against ihe storm. Money began •to run short, creditors became pressin" and at length a receiver was put, v inland the.pits closed.”