MINERS IDLE.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 12 November 1924, Page 5

MINERS IDLE.

CRISIS IN AUSTRALIA

WATERSIDE DISPUTE. .'' ■

TROUBLE SPREADING,

BY CABLE —PRESS ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT SYDNEY, Nov. 11. " The first signs of an approaching crisis in the coal industry were indicated to-day, when following on the refusal of the Newcastle coal trimmers to work overtime, over 1700 colliery employees , were rendered idle on the northern field. It is stated that seven mines are unable to continue working, as no waggons are available into which'coal could be loaded. The miners have been one of the first groups to be seriously affected by the waterside stoppage, and it is expected that thousands more miners will shortly be rendered idle if the tactics of the coal trimmers are continued. It was Unofficially stated that the stewards and pantrymen would hold up each Commonwealth Line steamer as it arrived until the Moreton Bay’s dismissed stewards are .re-engaged. ■ A meeting of watersiders unexpectedly decided that no good.purpose, would be served by holding up the cargo of the Moreton Bay further, and a gang was allowed to unload tlie ship. The M'ofeton Bay will then be laid up. A number of bureau workers on the way to work at Wooloomooloo were seriously threatened, but the timely appearance of a strong body of police averted trouble.

In the Assembly, in reply to a question regarding the waterfront trouble, Mr Bavin said that if the Government was only able to secure industrial peace by abolishing the shipping labour bureau and abolishing preference to returned soldiers, then the Government was satisfied to do without industrial peace.