MINING TROUBLES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIII, Issue 1088, 14 February 1918, Page 3

MINING TROUBLES.

MR SEMPLE SCEPTICAL.

(Per Pri:3B Association.) WESIYORT, Fob, 13. Mr Robert Serriple called at the Westport Tillies office this morning, and stated that the miners had never even conceived the matter of a strike. Officially, he knc« nothing about the supposed strike. Tie' rumour was utterly without foundation; but there was terrible discontent among the miners at the ever-soaring increase in the cost of living. It was originally thought the Government was going to make an honourable effort to try and doorcase the cost of living, but the exact opposite had been the ease' In this connection there was tremendous discontent permeating the ranks, of Labour However, the idea ol a strike v. as preposterous, because if then- was anything the. miner- loathed il was a strike. .Mr Scmjile put great emphasis on the last remark. ' . All the miner.- were doing, lie sanl. '.va> to force the Oovo-nmont l< thai things were getting iiuoleral'ili. from tho workers' point of view, and thai tlie time had arrived when fbe pmvevs that be should (Jo srnn'ctliing substantial to rolieve the ■situation,' but the iiiiiiers hated the name of "strike." Ilce.veV'e.r. there' was such a thin" as a breakiiig-poiifc. Feeliiig regarding sending Mr P. C. Webb to tlie front was running tremendously high. In the recent bv-election, the Govermnont had failed to find a man to pnl up again=t Mr Webb. The portion practically now was that thrw men had vetoed the opinion v,i 20,000 electors of "hi? country "This wag despotism in the high'";! degree," said Mr-'Semplu; ' ]