RE-OPENING MINES

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 6 July 1926, Page 5

RE-OPENING MINES

OWNERS’ TERMS. NOW BEING CONSIDERED. w A R\\l ICI ICSI ill MO (IF F Fit I? E l*T SFi I > BY CABLE—PRESS ASSOCIATION —COPYRIGHT. 'LONDON, July 5. Though the .majority or the mine owners will not post notices coiiceinin.cr the new wages until the Eight Hours [Bills ihias' passed the Rouse- ot •Lords, the Warwickshire coal owners haw© offered to reopen the collieries on the following conditions: The wages or the men working on a. subsistence «i----rangemen.t to be unchanged, j tho.se ol pieceworkers l to he 10s 8d per shift foi (Pal-gertens, for timber men 9s 3d, and for fillers 8s 9d. AM these are rather more than the pre-strike rates. Meetings of the Warwickshire miners on Sunday, however, carried resolutions against acceptance of the offer. iNkyticeis posited! .in \'o.i l ksTiire arc like,lv to be based on prewsitoppage wages, except foil the withdrawal of the extra percentage to pieceworkers. Northumberland, Durham and Scottish coal owners are undecided as to their act-ion at present-.

S.IFEGYARDING ESSENTIAL I'NOUST>RIEB. GOVEiRNAIEINT TO PURCHASE COAL. LONDON, July 5. The Government will shortly present in the House of Cbmimons .supplementary e.st-iurates covering the purchase of coal from the iCbnitinent in order to safeguard 1 the essent-ia 1 services. It is hoped this will be merely a book-keep-ing .transaction, -as the coal has been sold to the companies concerned. The Daily News says that imports of foreign coal -are checking the decline of British manufacturers, and engineering firm's 'are carrying on by using imported materials, but orders for-all producrtsi generally are slackening off. Bradford textiles -are suffering-a slow stran gu 1 ation.

STRIKE WON OR- LOST.

DURING NEXT FORTNIGHT

LONDON. July 4

“I’m not ashamed that 1 grovelled for peace-.’" said Air. Thomas, in his first speech -since the strike, at the 'annual Railway Conference. “A vulgar abuse of -me and other leaders will not be a substitute for round the table coal negotiations. Ia m most confident there are the genus of an honourable settlement in the Coal Commission’s report-.” Jib would, he said, be blind and foolish to- achieve -submission, through .starvation , nor would mere slogans bring industrial pe-aoe, which did not lie in th-at direction. Air. Cook, speaking a,t Widne-s, said the -strike would be won or lost during the -next -fortnight. They would have to stop the railway employees handling imported coal. A settlement could not be discussed) while the Eiiglxt Hours’ Bill remained. If the men accepted longer hours they would have to get a new '.secretary.

GERMAN MINES BENEFIT

BERLIN, July 4

The Prussian Ministry of Commerce eniipihaisiiis.es the ‘improvement in the itu.hr coal industry owing to the British .stride. Sales a.t home and abroad increased 30 per cent, in June. Many long oontraicjts at good prices were booked and there had also been a general industrial improvement owing to the slackness'in British factories which lacked coal.

Mr. Hodges addressed the Miners’ Conference at Saarlbraicken, and urged an international agreement for the'Sale and distribution! of coal. He appealed for a reduction of the German miners' eight-hour day to the British level. The Germans refused, pointing out that the British and German hours could not he compared, as the German hours included the time spent in reaching work daily.