THE BLACKBALL STRIKE

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LIII, 11 April 1908, Page 8

THE BLACKBALL STRIKE

A REMARKABLE STATE OF AFFAIRS. [PRESS ASSOCIATION. \ GREYMOUTH, April 9. Evidence of discontent at Blackball at the continuance of. the strike ,is obtainable on all sides, but the latest is most remarkable. One of the discontented men states as follows: —On 25th March, Mr Edward Tregear (Secretary of Labor) forwarded the following telegram to the Union: — . “I have been engaged on several occasions with Mr Hickey and Mr McCullough in endeavoring to find some solution of the present difficulty. I have come to the conclusion that there is no way out of it except by %he Minister’s influence being used with. Mr Stead and the directors: The Minister, however, will not move after the manner in which their former approach was met without having a guarantee of the Union, through its executive* that any arrangement made by them would be adhered, to. The proposals formulated in my mind are as follows: *The directors to grant within a fortnight thirty minutes’ crib , time, restoration of the discharged men to their former positions, and the. payment of half the fine. The men on their part guarantee that if these concessions are granted they will return to. work at once. If the men will ask the Minister to intervene with Mr Stead, the matter need not be made public in any way. In fact, it would be an entirely private arrangement, and. one-; that would be expected to be confidential so far. as the press is concerned- In regard to payment of Half the fine, the Government would give very easy terms) namely, three months, a portion being paid each month ; but the final . payment to be made within the three months. Personally, I urge you to accept, because I riot only feel that you will gain nearly all the benefits-for which the strike was instituted, but also because I have private information that many of the directors are urging that the mine should be shut down altogether until the railway comes ndar. —Edward Tregear, Secretary for Labor.” KEPT SECRET. The executive kept the telegram secret, and replied refusing to entertain the proposal. Two days later the Government announced its intention to collect the-fine. Later on some of the miners heard rumors of the telegram, and at. a meeting asked that it be read. This was refused, so Mr Tregear was telegraphed to for a copy, and replied as follows: . “Of course I. cannot say that the terms mentioned could now be obtained. The telegram I sent was accompanied by one from Mr Hickey and one from Mr Hogg, for the Socialist party, recommending that the terms suggested should be accepted. The telegram I sent on the 25th March was as follows” : (Here follows an exact copy of telegram already given above.) ANTI-STRIKERS HOWLED DOWN. On-Saturday last a special meeting of the union was requisitioned for, and was held on Tuesday, where, after a Tot of discussion, the telegram was read. A motion was then proposed agreeing to the terms,. but was ruled out of order, whilst a motion, “That'we go back to work on 20 minutes’ crib time, if the manager will favorably; consider half an hour’s crib time,” was howled down by those in favor of continuance of the strike. It is understood the proposal was not insisted on, and the meeting adjourned any decision being arrived at. - It is felt that if the proposals contained in Mr Tregear’s' first telegram are again offered the union iri a pilblic manner that they would be accepted, despite the attitude of the executive. The discontent at the enforced idleness is growing, and will- probably put an end to the strike within the next week. A SUSPENSION.

The Union executive has suspended one Mori from the Union, but the reason is not disclosed. Orie of the Blackball strikers writes:—“When at the beginning of the trouble Mr Mori, one of. the ablest men in the union, suggested that the..men should recognise the law and act with .it at their back, because by doing otherwise they would be fightting a brick wall, he was ruled out of order, ahd called upon to sit down. Mr Mori continued throughout the whole of the trouble to advocate these principles, and for doing so he has been suspended from the Union altogether by our learned executive.”