Grey River Argus and Blackball News.

Grey River Argus, 16 May 1912, Page 4

Grey River Argus and Blackball News.

Delivered every ' moriiing ■-> in- Greymbuth. Kuinara, Hokitika, Ddb'sdii. Wallse'rid, Tatlofville, Bruhnertoii, Stillwftter. Ngahere, Blackball, Nelson Creek, Ahaura, Ikamatua, /Waiuta, Beefton, Cronoduu, Bunanga, Duiiollie, Cabderi, Baxter.'s, Kokiri, Patara, Kaiwata, Aratika, Kotuku, Moana, Ruru, Te Kinga, Botoinanu, Poerua, Irichbonnia, Jaoksons nud Otira-. THURSDAY, May- 163h I£ll2. When some hisiboiri'an of the future sits down " to describe the earlier part of the. Twentieth Century, he; wiill .most probably refer to lit as the "era of strikes." Scarce a week can pass without: a strike of some sc^rt occurring". Some 'of them are hUimidrum and petty enough to merit but scant attention. They are senerally easily settled 'and pass off without leaving any marked impression ., on affairs. Some, ; however, are initensely EensationaL as with the late Black Strike in Eng-lan'd and Scotland, which has left a haunting fear, that .another - ' similar d,!? s °l' a ti n g' uptreaval may occur at any time^ One never kntows. Threats of all; kinds are in the air.- In a small way. the strike : ©f .'the miners at \ WaibL is as unpleasant as tihat of the coal' miners at Home. Bun there is - a wide difference between the two when the causes leading to the strikes are cojasidere^. One was a question of a minimum wage: the other is an attempt to compel ia certain class of men to remain members of a union th-at . for reasons of their own itliey decided \,to. : leave with the object! of setting-up a union for themiselves. The miners, resent this action. They want to. compel the seceHing enginei-driv©r.s to conwmie to be members- of the Miners Union against their wishes, which can only be regarded in a free country as ry,rannical. So far as we. are informed, the . .Waih,v Miners Union is , affiliated with the Federation 1 ' of Labotxr, and the', attitude of ithe .Uaiiati tfow<ar<ls the iengirie-driversviis auitt of -a piece with the methods of the Federa-

j tJoh of Labour. .Of all the strikes 01 ! which we have had examples Jatety, that- of ' the Waihi 'jminers is surely the nibst absurd and unreasonable. The ! engine drivers of Waihi exercise their 1 right as free cirizeins of a free coui'itry to establish ; a uniiorikif their own. They are 'not. called upon' to make any excuse 6r jgjive .reasons for doing s*^. It is nobody's business .but .the enginedrivers. Yet .the miners of ■ Waihi hjold a meeting and resolve.not to. return tto work till the 1 enigihe-dr.iiveirs rejoin the Miners;. Union \ .This is a ; n attempt at compulsipn with. . a „vengreance. 'Moz-e 4 1 an '5060 persons; arc affecced. Pjr^cticaiiy ©verything- aiid every person at ' Waihi' may be said to ■: be. dependent upon tlhe mines. I When they_ stop working-, and they have stopped, a deadlock "follows and stagnation' re'd&ns. There is no business and consequently hb' revenue. The Waihi 'teleigram said that >-be pumps were tc' be stopped on Tuiesday afternboh. That is the worst feature of 'this veirv. fooliish business. There is a d&al of ; water m the ground, and if that is allowed to rise and .invade the workings, (the -tnine ■may -be . ruined. But; 'we .assume ;(that \ if the -" engiii'e-dr.iiVers . are . not interfered -witih by the miners they .wall keep the pumps igoin,g and the water down. Itis to be hoped that ithe miners, will hot resort to> such extreme measures ;.t6' -stop ihe pumps. .Otherwise Waihi m : <ght be- easily . . ruined, and the goose that lays the golden esggs finauy cooked and disposed of. But it. .is scarcely oonceivable that nien : could -' fallow theiv . feelings «o carry :vhem to so. desperate a length ;as -to wreck the greatest gold-mininp company in the country and utterly ruin the t?hniiving little town of Waihi. Yet .we are ifioJd that both sides are firm — that is, thait the engine-drivers will stick to their own union, while the miners will refuse to work untiJ the enigine-drivers rejoin #he Miners Union. Result's wiill not be serious or in any. .degree irreparable if the pumps are kept, ga«ng; but if J^hey stop working from any cause the consequences to Waihi will be mio«t -serious and: probably irreparable. How ..the'' Wa'ihi. miners can justify their • strike tactics seems beyond comprehension; If jfhey : are acting on the ?udvico and with ithe sanction of the Federation of Labour the Waihi trouble; only- goes to show'what that brganisanon : w : ould .do if it Only possessed vine power. It can only be hoped ;t h at the miiners will realise ithe absurdity and tyrannous nature of .their attitude towards the engine-drivers, who have as much right !ro form a union of thew own as tihe miners or. the members of any other occupation. Such unfair, and absurd strikes can do no igood ito the cause of Labour, but are likely ; 'o exeroise a. most mischievp us effect by alienat»%g the sympathy of the general public with the cause of Labour; and public opinion is the all-compellong influence, of ..the age.

" The Atua. Maunganiii and Victoria were expected \6 be within wireless rang 6 Jasiteveninigf.• . .Spiritualistic mediums in Pans profess to have secured- communication Wiijth W.;T. Stead; . : ; A 'sharp shock of 'earthquake was experienced at , Palmerston North at 11:40 yesterday morning. V '. AH the mines din the Inangahua district are short-handed. The Just-in-Time, and .the. St. .George are both wanting men, and , all the bigger mines are putting men on as • fas t as they come.—Times. . • - . ;■; Su^san. Miller Wilson, convicted at Punediin on Tuesday of undertaking an;illegal operation, with a stromg,recommendation to mercy, was sentenced j. yesterday >to seven years' imprisonment with hard labour Twenty-far square miles of timber have been burne_d in forests fires in Oregon and Washington States. Manylumber mills have been destroyed and the villages are 'threatened. Large forces, of (fiire-fighters are at work." . .; Work on the Lake Coleridge hydroelectric scheme is proceeding steadily. The tunnel is 200 ft, or 60ft from the main .. ventilating sha% whiich is now down 64 feet. The water supply is well- forward, ..and ..excavation tor" the reservoir is proceeding. ■ 'Gjeorge Henry SeHmah, a recent arrival in . Christchurchi and a taxi-cab drijver. by occupation, was found dead ln.'bed. yesterday morning. He had been, takirog cowghV mixture. The medical, evidence disclosed valvular heart disease. A verdict was returned, accordingly. ;-...._.-. .West "'Etid" (Londtiri) tailors are gradually 'returning td yndrk 3 but .East End.ers.demandnine^hQurs. a day, less l^.^Kyura /o? me&l;.time, day work enstea:a of piecework-, and improved w<>rksho:os a'ceommibda^ion. - The amalgamated- 'Jailors officials adhere to the refusal to countenance. the .strike.. Speaking . pprf r .the late >Hpn James MeGpwanj the Hon* G. Fowlds said :— "I .consider Mr MoGbwah wks one' of the "straigh test and most coniscrlen.ncniS m&h tha^t we: have ever had in the politics of New fZealandi He had. a most 'sincere and conscientious desi.re tio do the right thing .oh every occasioii."; -_ _;' ' ;_*;v- . •■'=. V ' '. - The Hon Mr M^Sri^,,.. Premier or. British Columl>iaj:' hds secured a iJpsition for t State offices in London, on a stite twice" the s^ze of the Victorian site, with 56 f eet frontago £50,000 will be spent on the building. 'Mr Mcßride is to s"ee the iHoh Mr Borden, Preinfer of,;: Canada, at Ottawa. He will strongly advocate Canada occupymg the space bo^yeen . the Gaiety Theatre and the "Vactorian offices.

Ladies interested in St&ncil Work are invited to call and inspect the new stocks of Stencil Designs just opened up at 11. Dixon's, Tam'ui Street.-r-

w? 1 Cj?nfePe?cc of <the Whangaret local bodies delegates to choose a representative -to-attend ithe Local .Government Conference "in Welfengcon, outvoted, by larg-e' majorities, every propbsai m the bill seriatim. There ) va?. u, nanlllious opposition to ithe provincial Council's scheme. Mr Slade ™S' of the County Council, was appointed uo. represent the MarsdenKaipara Hospital Board, distract ...■ ,v~ The Hawke's Bay Trades and Labour; Council passed a resolution protesting against the Government-plat-rag orders for locomotives with private firms i^ considering dt high tim^ Ithat SLTiVenim^. t Ulidert ook - this' work themselves. The Council also passed of th S M - approving- ;of ithe actkin of the .Napier Boro.ugh Coundr in insasting on_ British made rails being used on the Sram system,', although the cost would be somewhat higher^' t^f^°^cement thatrthe.^rbpWetor of the bathhouse at Tokio,. where oegan ;the hre which resulted in damGf S?^ d at has been fined £60,. is one of the humours: ot fhe^law wh«ch is not connned"Wo' tfie land of the chrysanthemum.? In iEng^ land a soldier who commits an offence may be sentenced to a term of imDrisoriment by the civilpQwer,- He'completes his sentence, and when "he returns to barracks he is dealt wifh for being absent from his regiment without leave. Silence would have paid a defendr ant at Petone recently. Be was chargeded wjit-h usmg- obscene-languaige, and before considering what penalty should be umposed, Dr McArthur, S.M., asKed iif defendant had any means; Counsel rep,lied: "I understand.that the 17 S found upon hem was all he fef ln . <*c WOrld." Dr , McArthur-: ,cfe, Wlll b,? fin^d 405." Counsel: 'Will you allow time in which to pay?" Dr McArthur: "How long does he w^nt?" Defendant.: "Well, I have" fclO in the Savings Bank." Dr McArthur: "Oh, you have. M that as bo, ' we.wUl need to reconsider your case" Ihcn, after a tew minutes: "Fined £5 with costs." ■ ■■'■ , Spf^ff a t the meeting of the -Westland County Councitl .on Tuesday against'the. action of the Government in proclaiming the present season -a close" one for the shootdng of native piigeons, the Chairman said th'a* on his wftt to South Westland recently he counted no- Jes's .than seventeenbirds ooi one cabbage (free. At Goaks River and the Haast ithey were literally black, so plentiful were they. The pigeons were eating the turnip leaves m the Southern district, and he had never known thifs class of tgame to-be so plentaful. Gr Murdoch also spoke iv opposition to tlhe action of the Government and. said has.opinion was that for every pigeon shot.-one hundred were killed by stoats and weasels!-In condemning the action of the authorities m the matter; Cr. Clifton stated that to proclaim the-season a "close"' one was not justified in view of. the fact that .:he birds were so plentiful; and he expressed the belief that" the caction of the Government, was one \\#-ich offered inducement to shootists to break the law. . If ,the birds were noit Jiumerous he 'oould iunder&a.nd the action of t?he authorities l,"but this was not the case. It was ultimately resolved to make representation to the Government with a view of having the season proclaimed open for two months Says Christchurch Press :—The' cable messages which appeared iiv the London papers reporting the return -to New Zealand of the Terra Nova, were incidentally the means of introducing . that charming resort to millions 1 of English people, most of whom probably "had never heard of it before; Some of them knew more about•:-: 'at when, the "Westminster iGazette" gave isome particulars of its incerest-:' ing history, lollowed by a paragraph eulogising its attractions. It was situated, -i,t said, on. an inlet . which "would' be one of the finesV harbours . m tJhe world but for ..the ab sehce of landmarks at tbe entrance," Akaroa itself was described as being "entirely sheltered by wooded hills,"^ enjoying "an almost perfect climate." and being-"a. veritable .paradise of flowers and fruit," but so shut in from the rest of. the Dominion tha'f its. population was under. 680. The residents were described as "a" happy,/harmless folk, famed for good iooks' and gentle manners, in a land of" handsome and kindly people," and so contented '•hat -they see no reason "why their condition should ever or -their number should ever substantially in- ! crease." .■•.-, .;.--.. .;'... '- .•' '; . .