COALMINERS’ STRIKE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 124, 24 April 1940, Page 9

COALMINERS’ STRIKE.

MR MENZIES'S ULTIMATUM. CANBERRA, April 23. The Prime Minister (Mr R. G. Menzies) dramatically delivered an ultimatum to the coalminers to-day when he announced in the House of 'Representative thrat, unless the mine workers decide this week to resume work and seek a settlement of their dispute by constitutional means, the Government would take steps to reopen the mines at the beginning of next week. He added that the Government was determined that war industries and essential services should ho maintained.

Speaking in Melbourne, the Chief Judge of tlie Commonwealth Arbitration Court (Sir George Beeby) to day declared: “I now state finally that tho Court will not call any conference to settle the coal strike, but if the men resume work the Court will l>egin the hearing immediately of any application which may be made for a variation of the existing award and further action will be taken to set up conciliation committees in the coal areas. It would be quite futile to call a compulsory conference to discuss the strike against an award made in the first instance as the result of a compulsory conference.”