COAL STRIKE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 659, 9 November 1909, Page 5

COAL STRIKE.

MINERS SEIZE FAVOURABLE MOMENT 1 LOW STOCKS. TROUBLE MAT LAST OVER CHRISTMAS. (By Tele B raph.-Preia Aiiaclatlo^-OoDrnchtl. ,'.■■;■''■•.■ Sydney, November 8. Every coal mine in the Northern,district is ( deserted, twelvo thousand ■ men having left j work. Tho proprietors believe that tho striko t will last until after Christmas. The general public is wondering to what tho . upheaval: is due. Many minors ' themselves [ scarcely know what they aro out 7or. Griev- , ■ ances they have always had, but'no specifio _ demands have lately'been made on tho pro- ■ prietors. ■■■•'•.-.■ • ■■■. ..-■•■• J : Position of Inter-Stato Shipping. The suddenness of the strike is attributed' to . the fact that coal stocks were low. It is. boi licved that the railways have enough coal for I .two months. Tho Gas Company has a month's 1 supply, , and : the ferry companies 6ix weeks'. . Tho inter-Stato shipping,companies appear to . have practically no stbeks. Mr. Peter Bowling, the miners' secretary, speaking at a lodge meeting, said that indignity after indignity had been thrust upon members i of the federation right throughout the district. .. He had been told by the proprietors that they ! would just as soon fight them as not.. Tho men l had , borne these indignities until' they 'could stand them no, longer. '■■'■• Black-legs,—A "One-eyed Judge," \ They woro compelled to cavil with" "blacklogs," and the had got work. They .' had shod this for twelve months. The ; pro'-: prietors tried , to force them to fight, but how i they were'ready to fight, and they would boat thorn. The decision they to was a dramatic one, but' it was the only course left open. According: to the advices of the execu- ; tive, stocks of coal were lower than at'the tinw ; of the ; last strike. /. .. ■ .. ■. : ■;''. -'■.■-'■■■''. ■,■;■■■. The miners had : referred their claims to a Royal Commission, 'continued, tho secretary, and a; one-eyed Judge -had given 'a decision . against them, against the weight of.evidence. Hβ mentioned,that to show how much justice they could got froni a class-ridden Judge. If : over there was a time to fight, this was the" time.' :,-■■: .:...'■■. •,.'■ ■■ ■■ ■':■.-■ - .■;-.' , ■'•■ ■.:: 'PREPARING. LIST OF. GRIEVANCES, i ;.;.:. .•■ ;■: PECULIAR' SITUATION/ ':.■:' •■ '■■."• ;'■, ': ■ (Rec.; November 9, 1.5 .'aim.)' '. ■. Sydney, November 8.; ■ The Southern and the ,. Western, minors continuo working, .but their delegates ~:will attend, a conference of the three districts' tomorrow. ■ .The coal lumpers and the wharf labourers will' also meet'on. Tuesday. ;'■:. .'■ : .The Northern miners. to-day appointed a sub-comniittee to draw up a list of grievances for which..they have struck.. The fact,is; that if the.proprietors ■ire'ro to '6ay : to' , tho' men tonight: ."Whit arojyou fighting for? .Tell us specifically, and we will- concede it"—the men ■ Would have -to postpone their answer until they had'drawn up' the list.. .■ ■ ■ : !_.:.;. ■ SoTorar steamers, including the (Union Coml»ny,'B.. Waitomata,': heyei paid .off their crews and, laid-up..'The' prioo' of' firewood', has . .advanced 50 per cent. . ■ ,J .-. ~ ,:.. . . .' ; : : V /EFFECT ON :SHipP|NG... ;•;.,; i . . The news of. the, coal strike" , in' Newcastle' f«omf to have fallen like "a■■ holt from the S u 2'*i? ore 'ft? Well ■ aa It is known tnat tlie colliery workers havo had Rrievnnces, but these are perpetual, and nothing, so serious as a general strike was anticipated. , Large guantities of Newcastle coal are stillimportod into the -Dominion, but in some insta'neesT" notably the Government railways, the q uan- , -imported has ! fallen away during the past year .or two, owing chiefly to tho'increased ?, p ?■ ?V' ,*■ stats mines. Assuming ,, that> the .trouble does, not spread to New Zealand, , New. Zealand . will ./not bo seriously affected, . .thoueh it;niay-4omporari)y':ei;nbarrass' those people engaged!'in' 'tho-.-importation of Now- ■ castle coal. /■.:■; ..i.i' -:.' . . ■:'■■■ rr^ r- Kennedy, locnl manager for the Union bteam:Ship, Coinpany; < ree'eiveu : a wire from headquarters at Dunedin advisinK him : of,a genoraL'slrike in tho northern and southern collieries at Newcastle.; It is the practice of the ' company's intercolonial steamers to tako m bunker coal at Newcastle between the time they arrive.'and depart,'from Nowcastle. As a rule they, take in enough'to last the round ■ trip,-' but the .quantity is really regulatwl by,the. amount of cargo to be taken in, at Sydney. Tho ;Warrimoo, for instance, ■■ leaving last Saturday for Wellington', took inMaOO tons, • which ,is -not .sufficient for tho round trip. The company does>not hold! stocks of■ Newcastle coal anywhere. . ■ ' ' ■ .-