BRITISH MINING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 250, 22 October 1935, Page 7

BRITISH MINING.

Workers to Take Ballot in Wages Increase Issue. OWNERS' ATTITUDE CRITICISED RUGBY, October 21. The national conference of delegates from the Miners' Federation of Britain is sitting in London to consider what action can be taken to forward the claim for a national wages agreement and to increase wages by 2/ per day.

The conference adopted a recommendation from the national executive that a ballot be taken on the coalfields on the question of action to enforce the claim for a flat rate advance in wages. In the meantime the executive was empowered to conduct negotiations on the claim. The actual date of the ballot was left in suspense pending a meeting arranged for Monday between the miners' executive and the Secretary of State for Mines.

The situation arising from the failure of members of the federation to approach the owners' organisation last spring for national wages negotiations and the later developments which led to the decision are commented upon in leading articles in several newspapers.

The "Manchester Guardian" says it thinks the owners will act foolishly if they persist in flouting the Government and public opinion, first on the question of national conciliation machinery for dealing with labour disputes, and secondly on the improvement of the machinery which Parliament set up in their interests for the control of output and sales.

"Tlio Times" agrees that the colliery owners certainly are not making the best use of the facilities which Parliament has given them to put the industry in order, but it warns the miners against the danger of inviting a repetition of the disaster which overtook them in 1026, carrying suffering into every miner's home.