COAL DEADLOCK

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 15 June 1926, Page 5

COAL DEADLOCK

SEARCHING FOR SOLUTION. MONEY FROM RUSSIA QUESTIONS IN PARLIAMENT. BY CABLE—PREBS ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT. LONDON, June 14. In Tuesday’s debate the coal situation will be discussed from all angles, in view of a possible solution. It. is expected in political circles that Cabinet will ask Parliament to repeal the Seven Hours Act for it time, thus making it possible for miners to resume work at individual collieries after local bargains have- been made on the basis of a longer day pending a general settlement. The presept law ordains that a longer day may not be worked for more than 60 days in a year. The question of a secret ballot in the coalfields on the continuance of the strike is also under consideration by Cabinet, but discussion on the Bill to repeal the seven hours day is certain to arouse strenuous opposition. The Morning Post emphasises the significance oif Mr. Wheatley’s question to the Prime Minister (Mr. Baldwin) to-morrow, whether the* Government is willing to accept Sir Herbert Samuel’s memorandum as a basis for a settlement if the Miners’ Federation will also agree. The Morning Pt>st asks: “Is Mr. Wheatley asking on behalf of the Federation ” The order paper of the House of Commons bristles with questions regarding the Russian contribution to the miners.

The Communist newspaper, the Sunday Worker, in a message from Moscow, discloses on the authority of Tomsky, the presiednt of the council of trades unions, that money was not paid to the British Trade Union Congress because the English banks refused to effect payment of £’loo,ooo to the general council, acting under instructions (from the British Government. The Daily Mail editorially says: “The nation is becoming anxious to know what influences are accountable for the Government’s failure to stop the flow of Soviet gold to assist the strike. The Soviet leaders, without exception, are thioves, murderers, and propagandists of robbery, atheism, and murder. We. are sinking below the eternal law when we deal with men who openlv exalt evil and crime. The gold should be stopped. The Soviet’s iepre sentatives also ought to be turned out bag and baggage.”

SOVIET ACTIVITIES. ALLEGED TRANSFER OF FUNDS. FOREIGN SECRETARY'S STATEMENT. j Received 11.40 a.m. to-day. kf LONDON, Juno 14. in the House of Commons a number of questions was asked on the subject of Anglo-Russian relations and alleged Soviet activities in Eritain. Sir Austen Chamberlain replied that in the negotiations with the late Charge cl’Affaires he had been content generally to state the policy of His Majesty’s Government respecting antiBritish propaganda. He did not consider that a useful purpose would be served by detailed protests regarding particular incidents, but a few days ago, before going to Geneva, he instructed His Majesty’s ChaTge d ’Affaire in Moscow to inform the Soviet that it was impossible for His Majesty’s Government to ignore the action of the Soviet Commissariat of Finance in specially authorising the transfer to Britain of funds destined for the support of an illegal and unconstitutional general strike, as not conductive to a friendly settlement of outstanding questions, wmch the Soviet Government professed to desire. —Aus.N.Z. Cable Assn.