AUSTRALIAN COAL TRADE TROUBLE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXI, Issue 7934, 16 December 1909, Page 2

AUSTRALIAN COAL TRADE TROUBLE.

Per Press Association. —Copyright. Received December 16, 10 a.m. SYDNEY, December 16. Great disorder followed an address by Mr Hughes to a large meeting of . miners last night. Mr Bowling accused Mr Hughes of not taking his colleagues into his confidence with, reference to his intention to address a " meeting. Mr Hughes had tried to draw a red herring across, the trail. He did not want a general strike, because his own men would be called out, and he would then be a criminal like Peter Bowling. He believed that a certain course would minimise thestruggle, but the present course was prolonging it. If the leaders would not call them out, the men should come out themselves, and tell the leaders what to do. Mr Hughes again came forward amid a scene of disorder caused by the rival parties, and declared that he had been invited .to conic by the actingpresident of the Miners' Federation. He had attacked no man, but, nevertheless, he had been obliged to listen to a tirade of personal abuse and tittletattle that would disgraco an antedeluvian washerwoman's manners. Tho delegates to tho Strike Congress had kept them m the dark as to the true state of things. Ho had moved for a general strike ou tho first day of the conference unless an open conference were granted, because he believed that Bowling had seized tho psychological moment; but when he looked into the matter, he found that the minors -it Bowling's bidding had played the masters' game. Tho statement that Bowling had always been anxious for a general strike was untrue. He moved that the congress should give '14 days' notice. Bowling nnd Hughes, amid disorder, , gave one another the lie, but Mr Paterson (presidex;t of the Miners'

Federation) testified to the 'accuracy of Hughes' statement. Hughes declared tk'&t Bowling had ■' said if ho (Hughes) would agree to work the Young Wallsend and Ebbw mines, there would be no general strike ; that was the bargain he wanted made. There was tremendous ftprdar, and the meeting broke up h\ Confusion. J&eceived December 10, 11.30 a.in SYDNEY, December 16. Mr Hughes addressed a large meeting of miners last night. Ho said that lie believed a condition of things had been cretited m the Newcastle district •which had become intolerable. He •believed that thpse conditions were deliberately crea,tfed by the employers; he Relieved that the owners have wanted these many months past just such' a struggle as the present on©; and alihought they may have beton caught, so far as the day or week was concerned, ."they had been deliberately bringing about such r state of affairs, as it ' y/as to their financial interest to precipitate siren a crisis. He knew'from a reliable source that it was the intention of the employers , not to Wing •aboiiifc a settlement till February, al"thoagh they denied it. He had not advocated a general strike, and never "STould. They w«e?© face to face with , a-. Government that would do nothing for them. Re was present to uphold wio ideals "of the industrial workers of tha world —he was for the cause of Labour <o\i a constitutional basis They were "waging an unequal fight, because tfisareiwas not a majority of the Labour m Parliament. There was noth-; "ing wrong (he said) with the gun of the law; "for centuries you have had it turned against you and learned to despise it; turn it round again at the vend, and elsewhere, and you will find nothing so effective as this gun of the law," Pressure would be brought to bear on the vend, but he would not say how, as that was part of the campaign._ ,During the hearing of the cases against the strike leaders at Newcastle, it was stated that the following cable had been sent to Mr Edwards, M.P., London, to the miners* secretaries of Canada and Germany : "Thirteen thousand coal miners on strike. Employers refuse all overtures for a conference to redress grievances. They mean to starro the men into submission. Thirty thousand unionists are striking m support of the miners. Heavy financial assistance is urgently required."