COAL CRISIS.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 18668, 17 April 1926, Page 15

COAL CRISIS.

TIME OF ANXIETY. DEADLOCK REACHED. (»I CASH—JMM 4SSOCUTKW—COmMUTT-) (SSOTU'S TELXO&JJCS.) LONDON, April la. After sitting privately for over an hour this morning the executive of tho Miners' Federation met the Rt. Eon. Stanley Baldwin and Sir Arthur Steel-Mai tland, Minister of Labour, nt Downing Street at noon, when, it is understood, the miner* informed th# Prime Minister that in their view a deadlock had been reached. Mr Baldwin undertook to get i't touch with the Mining Association asoon as possible, and asked that the miners' representative? be available early next week for further discuouMi. A series of meetings all day lon,, apparently did little to advance tho settlement of the crisis. Tho most important meetings have been those of the Miners' Executive and the Trade Union Congress Industrial Committee, awliich tho latter protested against tho action of the owner* in abandoning tho national negotiations and reiterated its determination to support the rawer* in their resistance to the degradation of the standard of living. After an owner*' conference, Sir Arthur Steal-Majtland announced that it was intended to post notices terminating the agreement on April 30th. In the meantime lie offered to confer with the Miners' District Associations regarding the local regulation of wtgo=Messrs Herbert Smith and A. I Cook, miners' leaders, were due to leave for Brussels to attend the International Conference, bat postponed their departure in consequence of Mr Baldwin intimating his desire to communicate with them. It U believed that members of the Trade Union Congress, including Mr J. H. Thomas, told the Prime Minister that the owners were not observing the spirit of the Commission's recommendations by insisting on district negotiations prior to a notional settlement. Sir William Joynson-Hicks. Horn* Secretary, spealpng at » luncheon of the Commercial Motor Users' Association, eajd that today nt a time of great §jait>ty. X deaae» eload was hanging over tha country. The anxiety of Mjniftt"ars to-day. be believed, was ffTHter than during the war, booau&a the* the whole nation was united. There was to-day the prospect, he might almost say, of war, a prospect of grafe difference of opinion and ppaajbly disturbance, but the nation was, not united in regard to the best means of obviating the terrible bomb which threatened the nation. The greatest acset was the character of .the Prime Minister, who was absolutely honest and would give a square deal.