AUSTRALIAN COLLIERIES

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 April 1929, Page 4

AUSTRALIAN COLLIERIES

CONFERENCE FAILURE.

(Australian Press Association.) (By Cable—Press Assn.—Copyright.)

SYDNEY, April 17. Negotiations for a settlement of the coal dispute resulted in a deadlock, and the breach is now as wide as ever. A conference of the parties, called by the Prime Minister and Mr Bavin, was held for several days under the chairmanship of Sir Wallace Bruce of Adelaide. It discussed' the cost of production, wage reduction, and elimination of pinpricks, whereafter the miners’ delegates submitted proposals to the owners’ delegates who unanimously rejected them. These proposals required the re-opening of the mines on the original basis, investigation of the owners’ books, and provision by the owners of a shilling a ton on the selling price of coal towards a fund for alleviation of the Northern miners not re-absorbed in this industry. The owners counter-proposals, which were rejected, insisted that the cost of production be reduced by some form of wage reduction, and the discontinuance of the evil arising from virtual control, of the . mines by the unions.

TIMBER STRIKERS SENTENCED.

MELBOURNE, April 17. ... Two timber, workers, Who brutally assaulted volunteers, to-day were each sentenced to two months’ imprisonment. The Magistrate said that strikers who hunted in packs did not deserve British fair play. END IN SIGHT? » SYDNEY, April 18. Events in the timber strike took an unexpected turn to-day when thirtyfour summonses were issued by the Timber Merchants’ Association against certain employees at five different yards in the city. Another development was the decision of the strike committee to lift the embargo placed on certain yards and building works. The early collapse of the strike is regarded, as likely.