"ON EDGE OF PRECIPICE”

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XLVI, Issue 10704, 30 March 1926, Page 5

"ON EDGE OF PRECIPICE”

GOAL CRISIS IN BRITAIN.

TRADES UNION OPINION. f (Per Press Association—Copyright.) LONDON, March 29. _ A momentous week in the coal crisis was ushered in with a- series of speeches by Labour leaders indicating the trend of trade union opinion. The Labour victory at the Bothwell by-elec-tion is claimed as evidence that the workers are determined to resist the cut in wages. Mr J. Sullivan (the newly-elected M.P. for Bothwell), interviewed, said that other workers rallied to La,hour, realising that a reduction for the miners would b« a signal for the employees to reduce wages in other trades. Mr A. J. Cook (secretary of the Miners’ Federation) said that means mußt be found to assist the industry, outside the reduction/ of wages, longer hours, and district agreements. “We cannot pay the price of sacrifice any longer,” he said. “We are going to clear out the royalty owners without compensation, I hope.” Mr J. H. Thomas, the railway-men’s M.P., said the test of the success of the trade. union leadership was not to bring people out on strike nor promise them the moon when they could not even give them bread and cheese. When there were signs of a trade improvement the coal crisis had arisen. Low and scandalous as were the miners’ wages, the fact stood out that a great number of the pits were producing coal at an uneconomic price. A good sign was that both sides were desirouß of finding a settlement. Sir W. Joyn son-Hicks (Home Secretary) , said: “We stand on the edge of a, precipice. It depends oni the wnployers and the employed whether there will be a trade revival or whether there will be a strike or lock-out to destroy the hope of a revival, possibly for years.”