MINERS ON STRIKE.

Evening Post, Volume LXXV, Issue 53, 3 March 1908, Page 8

MINERS ON STRIKE.

<» , THE TROUBLE AT BLACKBALL AN ABORTIVE CONFERENCE. JBT TSLKGB.\ni. — rBES3 ASSOCIATION.] ' GREYMOUTH, This Day. The conference at Blackball last night Again proved abortive." Everything was arranged except the b-Uot proposal, .on which both sides are determined not to give way. THE MINERS' POINT OF VIEW. HOSTILITY TO THE GOVERNMENT. Four of ths dismissed men from the Blackball mine - have been giving their Version of the strike! .To a Press re- , porter they stated that -on Wednesday the manager paid his usual- round of inspection in the morning, when everything was apparently all right. At 12.30 he again visited the mine, when the men were abruptly dismissed. At that hour ,ha '.went to "where P. H. Hickey .was working, and ordered him o\it of the mine. Mr. Leitch was asked for an explanation, but h© replied : — "You get out. You will get no explanation from me. You get right out of it." In reply to a question, Mr. Leitch said he had nothing against Hickey's mate, Bromilow. He could stay if he wanted ,. to. . Hickey was then escorted out of the mine by the nnderviewer. The manager went to the ether places and dismissed Milligan, Fox, Goldsmith, Webb, and Hunter, absolutely refusing in every case to give a reason for the dismissal. He then returned to Bromilow and sacked .him, giving no reason for this action. An outline of the subsequent proceedings is then given, to the same effect as that which has already appeared in The Post. "WESTPORT TRADES' COUNCIL SUPPORTS THE MEN. ■ARBITRATION COURT FURTHER CRITICISED. TALK OF A GENERAL STRIKE NOT FAVOURED. E«X" TEIiEGBAFH. — FBE3S ASSOCIATION.! REEFTON, This Day. ■' The Westland Trades and Labour Council met here this morning, Mr. Foster, of Dehniston,"in the chair. All the other unions on the West Coast were fully represented, -and the standing orders were suspended. to allow delegates from Blackball to speak concerning the trouble. Air. Hickey, a delegate, and one of the dismissed men, spoke at some length, detailing 'the trouble between the mineowners and\ the men. In regard to the trouble number one, re tare on wooden tabs,. thfs.< had been settled. Trouble number two was due to crib time being .limited to fifteen, minutes. The union had decided- on naif hour. Then camo. the question of the dismissal, and fch,e_ manner ql dismissal, and then the strike. The- men had- approached the manager in every reasonable manner, but the reasons given for dismissal were inadequate. The ventilation of the mine was bad, and Mr. Hickey and others had complained to the Hon. R. M'Nab, and he had been a marked man. ' The council heard both Mr. Hickey and Mr. Rodgers, secretary of the Miners' Union at Blackball, and decided that — "After hearing the explanation of the delegates from Blackball, this council is of opinion that the men were discharged without reasonable excuse by the manager of the Blackball Coal Company, and" were not treated in the manner that might nave been expected, and that Che j council is. of opinion that the Blackball Miner*' Union had been driven in an^unfair, mean manner — the members- being treated without any hope of redress — to cease working, and that until justice is done the members of the union and council strongly urge on the unions .the necessity of immediate moral and financial support to the Blackball Union in their struggle." ■ Arbitration Court methods' were freely criticised. Some speakers advocated a resort ti> ageneral strike, but this opinion did not find favour. A motion asking the Minister for Labour to direct the Arbitration Court to immediately intervene was deferred till the Government proposals had been received. OPEN AIE MEETING. ARBITRATION COUiIT ASSAILED.. MINISTERIAL INTERFERENCE CONDEMNED. On Saturday evening, Messrs. P. H. Hickey (one of the dismissed men), H. My/Fitzgerald (organiser of the Socialist pt&ty), and R. Semble (president of tha State Collieries Miners'*- Union) addressed a large open-air meeting in Greymouth, the attendance being considerably over five hundred. Hickey, who outlined the whole affair on similar lines to that given above, stated that there had been a deal of friction at the mine. This year, for instance, tha amount of coal put through showed a -shortage. The union held that this was due to the unusually* fine spell of weather drying the wooden tubs, and thus reducing their weight. It was only after considerable pressure had been brought to bear on the manager that he agreed to weigh the tubs. When this was done, it was found that some had decreased in weight by 4lb, and others by as much as 56jb, thus accounting for tfie decreased weight. The miners had not taken their stand rashly, but after due consideration. If they had gone before the Arbitration Court, which had one law for the worker and another for the employer — (cheers) — they would have "Had to wait about ten or tv/elve months tj get a hearing, during which time the dismissed mon would have become scattered, and it would be impossible to get the evidence necoasary. On the other hand, had it been tho cmployere who wanted the court, it would have been around in a week or f.v/o. (Cnta of " Quito right-") Mr. Millar, Minister of Labour, that political turncoat — (hear, hear) — had wired for particulars, so that ho eoukl judge if it was neccsssry to put the law in motion. * When this c>une before tho meeting the men. received it with laughter and " Pooh, poohs." He (Mr. Millar) should not obtrude himself, neither should Mr. Lomas, when not required, for the miners could settle the matter themselves. The light was really one for liberty of speech and action, and he asked tor the support of aIJ workers for tho Blackball miners. (Acclamation.) Mr. Fitzgerald, who followed, attacked the local members of Parliament (Messrs. Guinness and Be-'*don), and spoke urging workeis throughout the ■country to support the minera in their fight for right, Mr. Semple, who followed, stated that tho action of the Blackball miners was strongly supported • by. the State collieries miners. The meeting throughout was very orderly, mai was apparently In agreement .with 2jE»» ■peakera. BUMOUR OF STRIKE AT TJEEFTON. Ob top of the- Blackball trouble comes, news from Reefton that it is freely Honoured ' that •- a, --strike .. is . imminent

Regarding the ballot proposal, Mr. I Hickey states that to overcome- the mine manager's objection, the union was quite agreeable that mariied men with homes in Blackball, and single men with parents dependent on them should be excluded from the ballot, and thus only single men would go into the Dallot. Thpre were IJ2O men present at the meeting when it was decided to cease working, and of theee only five, wcio in favour of going to work. The Wellington Wharf Labourers' Union received a telegram . yestea-day from the Greymouth Wharf Labourers' Union, stating that there was a probability o!.' the difficulty being settled. .