COALMINERS' STRIKE.

Hastings Standard, Volume XIII, Issue 4310, 13 November 1909, Page 5

COALMINERS' STRIKE.

OWNERS TERMS FOR CONFERENCE.

UNLIKELY TO BE ACCEPTED.

Sydney, November 12

I The Northern coalowners decided Ito reply to the miners' request | agreeing to a conference if the men resume work within a week. It' a conference should prove abortive, the owners are agreeable to refer the grievances to an industrial court. AN ALLEGED TRUST. A VEILED THREAT. Mr Bowling, in a speech at Newcastle, declared that had the strike not been entered on at the present time it would have been a disaster. Miners arid some of the smaller colliery owners would have been ruined. The big co mpanies and an emissary from England had, before the strike started entered into a compact that would have placed the Miners' Federation under the heel of the colliery owners and given the whole power of the coal trade of the country into the hands of a few men. One great swindle of the clique he referred to would have given them a profit of £100,003 in one grab, but the clique were beaten, and lost £IOOO. Referring to the question of food supplies, Mr Bowling said that the men of the district would not let the women and chi'dren starve. He need not tell them how that could be done, nor could he do better than repeat the words of Cardinal Manning to the London dockers, "If you are ihungry, take it." He hoped they would see that they got food for their wives and children. If the law stood in the, way of preventing hunger and starvation, then the law was unjust. The miners fighting the bactle of the public, because they had entered on the strike so that there might be kept away from Australia what was one of America's greatest curses, an octopus that had its grip on America to-day. He referred to what was technically as a deal.

EFFECT ON SHIPPING Sydney, November 13 Tha steamer Star of Scotland has sufficient bunker coal to carry her to New Zealand. The Union Company have decided to lay up several steamers and curtail the Tasmanian service. MINERS' CO-OPERATIVE SCHEME. (Received 13, 10 50 a.m.) Sydney, November 13 In Mr Bowling's schema for working a colliery or collieries by the Miners' Federation the pits mentioned are the Young Wallsend and the lEbbiovale. Negotiations are in progress, and it is understood that steps towards completing the agreement are well advanced. NEWCASTLE AT A STANDSTILL.

The effects of the strike are being seyerely severely felt at Newcastle. The export of coal for the week just ended is 1800 tons, compared with 10,000 the previous week and 80,000 for the corresponding week last year. The general trade of the town is at a standstill. SHIPMENTS FROM ABROAD. Advices have been received at Sydney that a shipment of coal has already left Hong Kong for Australia, and quotations have been received from Natal and Japan for cargoes to be delivered within a month. ILL EFFECTS IN OTHER STATES.

Reports from other States indicate that the fact of the strike becoming serious in Melbourne is increasing the tendency to reduce hands employed in large manufacturing and commercial establishments.

All existing coal supply contracts at Melbourne terminated yesterday, contractors taking advantage of the strike clauses in their agreements. The Australian paper mills proprietary has closed its works at Melbourne and Geelong for lack of coal.

STATE'S POWER TO WORK MINES.

Asked in the House whether he had not power under law of eminent domain to work mines as Mr Roosevelt intended to do at one time in America, Mr Deakiii stated that the law of eminent domain did not exist to the same extent in Australia as in America. The Commonwealth Government had no control over lands as the American Government had.

MINERS UNLIKELY TO ACCEPT PROPOSALS. (Received 30, 9.15 a.m.) A Congress of delegates from the three mining districts will to-day consider the Northern mine proprietors' decision. The prospects of the Congress falling in with the suggestion to resume work preparatory to a conference are considered very unlikely.

CABLE NEWS.

United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.

THE STRIKE SPREADING. The Mt. KeirS miners downed their tools last night. All the Southern miners are now out. A meeting of western miners has decided to cease work immediately and it is expected that all the ! pits will be idle to-day. AN UNHOPEFUL OUTLOOK. The Coke works at Bulli and Bellambi have paid off and closed. The outlook is considered anything but hopeful and fears of a general strike are increasingSTATEMENTS BY LEADERS. Strike leaders state that the object of a general strike is to raise public opinion 10 coerce mine owners. Addressing the Hetton Lodge, one of the delegates announced that the miners were not going to allow anyon° to try and work the mines.

Mr Bowling expressed the opinion that the Waterside and other unions would come out if called upon to do so. The spirit of unification among unions was never so strong as it is to-day. Nothing would be done to hurt the public that could be avoided, but the present was a fight for supremacy. and the unions must have all the power they could get. Mr Bowling mentioned he had offers of assistance from all parts of Australia and New Zealand, and that these offers, amongst other matters, would be considered at to-day's Congress.

NOT LIKELY TO SPREAD TO NEW ZEALAND.

PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.

Auckland, November 12,

A majority of the coalmine owners of the Auckland district have practically deeided not to export coal to Australia in the present crisis. Mr Holgate, managing director of the Northern Coal Company, 1 stated that he did not think, despite the fact that cablegrams had been received asking for quotations, that any coal would be shipped to Australia by the North Island mineowners. He did not therefore consider that the New Zealand trade would be affected by the. strike, except in so far as the strike would create briskness in supplying the shortage due to the cessation of New Zealand imports. INCREASED STEAMER CHARGES. The Union Steamship Company announce that, in consequence of the coal strike, passage rates from the Commonwealth to New Zealand will be forthwith increased bv 10 per cent, and freight rates by 25 per cent. A similar increase will probably be shortly announced from New Zealand to Australia. The Australian shipowners announce a similar increase in all passenger and freight rates throughout the Commonwealth, which may require to be even further increased at an early date.