THE BLACKBALL STRIKE.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 13096, 22 April 1908, Page 7

THE BLACKBALL STRIKE.

A CHALLENGE AND COUNTER

CHALLENGE.

(S.ECI.U. TO ""HIE PRESS."^ GREYMOUTIJ, April 21. Concerning Mr Leitch's challenge regarding ventilation 'at tho Blackball mine, Mr D. K. Pritchard publishes a repbji in which he says: "It is with considerable reluct anc© and regret tliat I am compelled' to take this action in self-defence, because of tlie admiration I have for Mr Leitch as a clever and capable ntino manager, and on© with, I sincerely hope, a brilliant future bcforo him in mining circles. On overy platform from which I delivered addresses during my tour in the South Island 1 specially referred to tho fact that anything 1 might say concerning; Mr Leitch would not bo the outcome of any personal enmity existing between _s> and prior to tho present, dispute we wero tho best of Irionds, and when work was resumed at the mine I hoped tlio good friendship would continue. To prove the existence at present of gases in the Blackball mine is the condition upon, which th© Greymouth Hospital would, benefit to tho extent of £20. Has Mr Leitch not sufficient intelligence to understand, or ia ho intentionally attempting to obscure tho actual meaning of what 1 said? Tho assertion was made on a knowledge of conditions existing prior to tho presont dispute, and not on any conditions which might obtain three months later. Mr Leitch knows a thousand times bettor thatn I do that conditions which existed in a mine yesterday may not exist to-day, and aro liable to reappear again at any time. For instance, tire day before tlie lato rogrcittaMo explosion at Brunner, we must infer that the mine in which tho explosion occurred was workably safe, yet in less than 21 hours those existing conditions of safety had undergone such a transformation that tho miners, when attempting to get to their working ,faces, were—well the* result is a matter of bietory, and th© gentleman vho was gcaieral manager of that mine lioOds a very responsible poai—on today, a-nd is (to say th© least), as aLovex a mining expert as Mr Walter Ledleh, and thus Mr I/eiteh challengjes mc for a wager of £20 to forecast tlio condition of the Blackball mine three months ahead of a given date. For that, in truth, is the real contexit of his oballeinijre. There may be no 'black dla.-np' in fho _ Blacbrjali mine to-day, but I am willing to attempt to prove that it contaiincd 'black damp' prior to the pTosont dispute, and it was the period I was referring to when I mentioned the 'black damp.' Will Mr Leitch come before a roatuallyagreed upon Board of Enquiry and give mo the opportunity of proving whether, within two months prior to the strike, 'black damp' existed in omo or moro of th© working places of the mine, and if I fail to prove tho same, I will publicly apologise for tho assertion I have made, and Mr Leitch w iii stand exonerated, while, if I prove the existence of 'black damp' in on© or moro of tbo working places of the mine within- tho specified period (da-v and date excepted), Mr Leitch w'il. publicly apologise to mc, aaid grant the to tho Blackball Miners' Union? -'Tlie settlement of th© present dispute I am more coaicernod about in tlie meantime than any charitable institution. That is wh'v I make the half-hour for crib time a condition of tho challenge."