BLACKBALL STRIKE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 147, 16 March 1908, Page 8

BLACKBALL STRIKE.

A, COMPLETE DEADLOCK. . . MEN DETERMINED TO STAND FIRM. ALL AGREEMENTS AND CONCESSIONS : • ' • OFF. , . ' 1 (BY TELEGRAPH.—PRESS ASSOCIATES.) Croymouth, March IS. Thoro is a oompleto deadlock at Blackball over tho strike. Everything was in readinessfor work on Saturday, and .. the. mine officials wore in attendance) but no miners turned Up, andHho mine was closed. The men are determined to stand firm and fight the position. . •, ' A meeting was held, and it was decided to canvass for support, and Mr.-Pritchard was appointed to cajivass Christchurch', Dunodin, and the res ;ho South Island, while Mr. Hickey will appeal to Wellington, Westport, and Nelson. Efforts aro being mado to get tho Tynesido and State colliery miners to come out, but at meetings held '011 Saturday tho proposal was not favourably received. It is freely rumoured that t-lio Blackball Coal Company intends to close tho mine down until' the railway from Ngahero to Blackball is'completed, and in the meantimo .to go on erecting new bins! . Tho'manager notified tho miners that all agreements and concessions agreed to by him aro off. Tho miners claim that tho decision'of tho Arbitration Court is too severe. On Saturday evening everything was quiet, and no public spoechcs were delivered. Tho whole.affair is looltod upon as very serious by tho business . people of'Greymouth, and tho Blackball tradesmen havo stopped all credit,' refusing goods unless the money' is\ paid. down. THE ALLEGED PROMISE. •- STATEMENT BY MR. BROWN. ■ A Christchurch "Truth" representative waited on Mr. ; S. Brown, tho employers'- representative on- the 'Arbitration Court, with a view- to getting some further information regarding' tho alleged promiso by Mr. Leitch that- ho would make a statement in Court that the dismissed men would not bo victimised. Mr. Brown stated that ho.and.Mr. M'Culough had arranged, to (fc-t. tho employers and mon-respectively to agree, to twenty minutes' crib time and a' " clean ■slate," and .thero was nothing Baid' at all about, any statement being-made in Court.' Mr; Brown had no trouble in getting the to consent to the agreement," and. when the Court sat nest morning announced tho fact. Tho same .the Court,-having finished its business on tho West Coast, rose at j .p.m., and ; it !was not till about 7, o'clock . that evening , that. ; tho miners camo ,to a decision. ' Hoiv, therefore; ,could '.. the men reasonably contend that. Mr.-LMt'ch'. should havo mado'.a statement in Court when the Court had finished'its sitting? iHo thought; metaphorically,;they had not a leg to stand on in-.'.their contention.' Tho ' Grovmouth "Star' 1 ' ! st-ites;—"Tlio .manager oxplains that; .it, was Mr.' l: J.- A.!, M'Cullough who infprmed_tho miners that, ■a statement would ojo mado by tho .manager, in Court, after tho decision" was. given, that the dismissed men-would'hot- bo victimised. Mr. Leitch' saysfhb never mado such'a, promiso, and that ho simply gavo his word of honour. Tho deputation that waited oh •Mr. Leitch at Greymouth on Thursday afternoon was not'promised a public.statement."