BLACKBALL NOTES

Grey River Argus, 25 August 1928, Page 8

BLACKBALL NOTES

(From Out Own Correspondent.) The chief concern of the people of Blackball the e days is the Company’s “ukase” that, the mine is to go ’on single- shift in order to make it at least a self-supporting proposition Severn l Union mcr’ings have been held dealing with the position,, and the Executive' of the Union have also on two occasions met the Directors with proposals that (1) the work be shared; (2> that the Government, be opprodclr d with a view to giving sufficient run of mine orders ,to enable the two shifts to be continued. The directors maintain that neither of these proposals is f ms ible or practicable, and tl'nt. it :s a ease of single shift or close up the mine. The Company propose to deal with the situation as foVows: (1) Ton.-. married men and single’ men with responsibilities be given the preference; or (2) that a ballo,t-out be undertaken; or (3) that the mine be taken over on the tribute system at so much per ,ton in the bins. This is the problem that confronts the organisation and membership, and it will have to be dealt with at tomorrow’s (Sunday’s) meetings There is a lot of controversy and propaganda going on relative to striking in order to force th' sharing of work. A Communist Pa'ty circular has made its appearance, in which the inferenv seems to be mainly that single mon arc the only reliable unionists, and that the objective is .the victimisation of the “militant single men. Your correspondent does not know who these so-call’d militants may be, but be they who they may, flic readiness of the Company .to agree to a ballot-out explodes the parrot cry of victimisation, a cry that rather amounts in this instance to one of intimidation. Tn the dark days when famine and poverty reigned supreme in Russia i.v can be said tiiat the first concern of the people was the children, who must b ■ educated, fed and clothed at all costs, but it seems,that in Blackball, the New Zealand stronghold of the Communist Par,tv. ’lie slogan is “Never mind the children—share the work! However. dozens of the singl ■ men would not have this slogan on their minds, but are prepared to make, a sacrifice in order to av-rt as much hardship as possible. Verily the Blackball m eting on Sunday will provide an object lesson on the subject of principle. Mr R. S'"nple gave his lecture, illustrated by lantern slides, on “The Ghastly Horrors of War.” befon • approximately one hundred people, on Thursday. Mr H. Chilton being in the chair. Mr Semple proved to be. *n o-ood form, and had a good hearing. Some of the slides shown wvre undoubtedly an eye-opener-The Blackball people turned up ir. large number to see tin ■ schoolboys ’ soccer team play the Canterbury ami Otago teams, who were much bigger boys. The local kids won the crowd with jlieir game and cl ver display, ami, al hough beaten, they certainly were not disgraced.