AUSTRALIAN MINERS

Evening Star, Issue 20373, 3 January 1930, Page 9

AUSTRALIAN MINERS

THE ROTHBURY PIT NO COAL TRUCKED AWAY. Trtat As*ociah.in—By Telegraph—Copyright. SYDNEY, January 2. Matters are still quiet on the coalfields. No coal has yist been trucked away from Rothbury pending the result of the railwaymen’s ballot on the point whether the Union of Railwaymen should handle non-union coal. Rothbury is picketed by>strikers, who are in no way aggressive. The High Court proceedings for test ing the validity of Mr Justice Booby’s order for resumption of work at idle collieries at pre-stoppage rates are still in progress, and considerable evidence is being taken. Among to-day’s witnesses was David Davies, general secretary of the Miners’ Federation, who deposed that the' railway employees would refuse to haul coal from Rothbury, the Seamen’s Ur ion would reuiso to handle it, and there was likely to be a general upheaval in Australia.

WORK IN FULL SWING.

STATEMENT BY MINISTER,

SYDNEY, January 3. (Received January 3,, at 10.30 a.m.)

The Railway Commissioners have dt> cidea to man the trams taking provisions into Uothbury with men who are not members of the anion.

The Minister of Mines (Mr Weaver) stated that coal hew lng at Rothjmry was now in full swing, and the output was equal to that of normal times. No labourers bad left the mine, as had been alleged. A conference of representatives from all the northern miners’ lodges, held at Cessuock. decided that, should the coal proceedings before the Arbitration Court break down, all the safety men would be withdrawn from the northern pits and each mine would be mass picketed.