THE N.S. WALES STRIKE

Evening Star, Issue 14229, 1 December 1909, Page 5

THE N.S. WALES STRIKE

\ THE GOVERNMENT TO INTERVENE. "TEE STATE MUST BK SAVED." A CENSUJTiT MOTION. , Tress Association—By Telegraph—Copyright. 1 . SYBN'KY, November 30. ' When the Assembly met to-day Mr Leo (Acting Premier) made a statement regarding tho intentions of tho Government in connection with the strike. He said that i:i view of a possible general paralysis of business there was a serious possibility of ! the- large interests of the State being so crippled that it would take many years to restore- them to normal conditions. .\6 al! their efforts to bring the parties together had failed, and realising that the patience of the community had been tried to the jwiint of exhaustion, the Government had determined to intervene directly. Action would hi; taken to command the whole of • th* output of the mines now at work, with which to supply the community. The Government would assert their right to take os much coal as they wanted, and cate wmild be taken to protect the public in the matter of values. While the Government were loth to interfere unless those acting for the miners and the owners did not meet in the immediate future anil offer a solution of the trouble, the Industrial Disputes Act would he enforced, involving penalclauses and the appointment of a Conciliation Hoard. While the Government relied on the good sense of the mii-i-is and owners, it must be clearly undeistood that if efforts were made to protract the situation the- Government were determined to expend every means allowed to bring about a settlement. The statement had the concurrence of Mr Wade and the, whole Cabinet. Arfter i>ome desultory debate Mr W'Gowcn moved that the methods proposed by the Government to deal with the industrial troubles were absolutely insufficient to meet public requirements. At Mr Lee's request, owing to the aeute- ; nees of the situation. Mr M'Gowen agreed I to proceed with the motion without any adjournment. The Leader of the Opposition admitted that Government intervention was the correct attitude; it was endorsed by his party. What he wanted was an explanation of tho ■ Government's rxprrtsed determination to exhaust every power that they were constitutionally authorised to ut,e to hting about a settlement. The refusal of this explanation had forced him to move a censure motion. The Government had declared that they would take the whole output of coal, but the railways hlotip took 2.000 tons July, so what use would he the output of »he two mines now woikiie,'? He complained that pressure was to he brought to Dear, not upon the mine owners, who declined' the olive branch, but upon the ' mineis, who were willing' to -o into conference. THE EMPLOYERS- TERMS. SYDNEY. November 50. Mr Learmouth informed Mr Hughes that Jbe proprietors could not consent to his Suggestion for a conference unless the ■liners hist consented to leturn to work. THE STRIKERS 1 FIRST SUPPLY. SYDNEY. December 1. ; (Received December 1, al 10.10 a.m.)' The first coal fiom the strikers' mine at Zbbw Main amounted to 300 tons. The (Railway Department took one-half. ft is "understood that the Commissioners' reasonable price is between lCs and las per ton. THE MOTION DEFEATED. A GOOD MAJORITY. SYDNEY. December 1. (Received December 1, at 10.10 a.m.) At. three o'clock this morning .Mr M'Gowen's motion was defeated bv 40 to 25. NO RESERVE COAL. On the first announcement of the strike at Newcastle the Hail way Commissioners wrote to the various Victorian coal companies notifying them that they would be called on to deliver the full amount of coal that they had contracted to supply the railways. In reply to inquiries. Mr Tait (chairman of Commissioners) stated that a reply had been received from the .luinbiinna Company stating that at a meeting of the Board of .Management it had been decided to inform the Commissioners that the company intended to do their best to comply with the Commissioners' request. The Outtrim mine was giving the Railway Department everything that it was turning out. MAGNITUDE OF THE COAL TRADE. The coal trade of the State is one of the finest assets possessed bv New South Wales. To the end of 1908' no less than 148.000,000 tons of coal, of a, value of £56.700,000, had been produced from the three fields of the State the Newcastle (Northern!. Southern, and Western. The average price obtained per ton at the pit's mouth has varied from 5s 6d. touched in 1898, to as high as 15s. Taking the live years ended December 51. 1908. the output of coal from the three districts named was us follows : Northern. Western. .Southern. Year. Tons. Tons. Tons. 1904 ... 4.042.759 418.687 1.558.583 1905 ... 4.645.742 '129.718 1.556.678 1906 ... 5.536.18S 506.779 1.785.595 1907 ... 6.058.580 765.919 1.835.425 1908 ... 6,511.002 706.787 1.929.256 For the first nine uionl lis of the current vear the State production of co::l was 5.586,546 tons, of the value of £1.804.715. These figures raise (lie tnta.l output to o'-er 151.000.000 tons, of a total value of over £60,000.000. P .-an Im .-con. therefore, bow the wealth of the State has been added to by the posses.-iou of splendid coal menturns. Of the total yield of ,-oa.l. about twominis are exported, and one-third retained for home consumption. The bulk of the foreign trade is done by the Newcastle and Maitiand mine.-, so that when business is brisk a fleet of ocean-going vessels assemble in Newcastle. These are apart from the usual big service of Australasian coastal steam colliers. The way in which the trade flows is illustrated by the following figures, showing the Australasian. Home, and foreign consumption of Newcastle coal for the past live years: Australasian Oversea Home Trade. Trade. Trade. Year. Tons. Tons. Ton--1904 ... 1.880.545 1,292.522 1.580 859 1905 ... 2.066.576 1.651.477 1.485 9TS 1906 ... 2,260,090 2.701.450 2.080 GU 1907 ... 2.579,024 5.564.485 2:662 218 1908 ... 2,715.310 ....535.566 5,021.021 The leading customers for New South Wales coal, apart from the Australian States, are Eastern countries, and the people of the west coast of America. Thus in 1903 India took 164,000 tons, the Straits Settlements 218.000 tons, the Philippine, Llmds 551.470 tons. Chili 790.000 tons. a;.d California 189.12.1 tons. A very large business connection has therefore been rr-'-alLslid by the Newcastle coal-owners in their d:•:■•;r<? to turn the coal measures to profitable account. This trade, however, bw been jeopardised by tho break in the delivery of r.:])p!i.\-> occasioned by strikes at Newca.-'. v. :. is only of late vears thai thry hive -ur-'-erded in regaining s/mie of the losi '..T-ii'id. (Jut, their strongholds in the East ;;..-:?_ being constantly threatened by Ind!*-"., Chinese, and Japanese competitors. The coal of' India and China is not <f tho .-.rune (.uility as that produced in New H<jr.lh We.'.es." Still, supplies car. always be eounicd upon, and that fact his weight wiih^ consumers. The miners of New South "Wales have been warned ajjain r.rd ng::iu ot the iisk they run througiwli.s. IcuuitiuK .tho torero, trade of thejwrt. Jlut

they have generally elected to cause trouble when the port of Newcastle was full of shipping nnd tlie demand for coal oa a very largo scale.