MINIMUM WACE QUESTION.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXII, Issue 8313, 29 February 1912, Page 5

MINIMUM WACE QUESTION.

' \' . .&; :jGibvESNMENT : SC^EMI,; ; 38-000 .MEN: ON'STRIKE, RIOTING AT CHESTERFIELD Per Pf«&s Association—Copyright. ;i "::\ ;;; ti!|ioNDoN^ February 28^ -After'the , Premier's' address at' the Mining 'Conference, Mr Lloyd George asked- several questions, including one as to whei would . guarantee the inini:muin wage when the miners took con-' 'tract; labour.' ' . , ; ;Messr^ Edwards- and Smellie outlined the . mien's reasons for pressing for the ''concession of an individual minimum wage in each district,, and s-tatejd that: ithey' were ready to. eon- ! sider details af.terwards. '.' .The.'.Premier theii intimated that the Government had devised a scheme dealing ; with the 1 application of. the principle of th6'minimum wage,.''and asked the miners to appoint a committee to consider it. ; The meeting of the Cabinet Ministers and the Miners' Committee lasted three hours. ; :■ It is understood that the Government had a difficulty in inducing,, the 1 men's' representatives to:: consider the scheme, which • is; reported' to" l)^ V iof,. a very novel character; ! i The consensus of opinion is that the Government has definitely decided that' the minimum wage mulit be granted in order to prevent? some-: of the miners being victimised' by : being allotted to abnormal .plaices.- '• „■;....,..: ... The Government desires : that .both sides should undertake^; to allow the Government to act ais umpire in the event of them failing to agree. When the Premier approached the masters on Thursday,: he suggested that the 'adoption'of; the" minimum would affect only 25 per cent.- of the ■men, and not involve much increase in expenditure, but ; many of the owners denied thie. '■' Thirty-eight thousand men are already striking, including 17,000 in Yorkshire. ■ ■: The strikers stoned and threw bottles at a tram taking miners to. Chesterfield. . The police dispersed: th© rioters. The "Evening News" states that eight members of the: Welsh Miners' Executive are assisting the... South Wales' Miners' Industrial Organisation. Mr W. H. Maimvaring, 'the secretary, who is, a prominent advocate of syndicalism, states that he hopes th© Executive Council of the South Wales Miners' *• Federation will adopt the "scheme-as a "whole. ; •.-.- -» ..- '