COAL CONFERENCE ENDS IN DEADLOCK

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6887, 18 April 1929, Page 8

COAL CONFERENCE ENDS IN DEADLOCK

Breach as Wide as Ever MINERS AND OWNERS REJECT PROPOSALS NEW CRISIS IN TIMBER STRIKE United Press Association —By Lieetrit Telegraph—Copyright. Received Wednesday, Midnight. SYDNEY, April 17. Negotiations for a settlement of the coal dispute resulted in a deadlock anu the breach is now as wide as ever. A conference of the parties, called by the Prime Minister and Mr. Bavin, met for several days under the chairmanship of Sir Wallace Bruce, of Adelaide, and discussed the cost of production, wage reduction and the elimina tion of pin-pricks, whereafter the miners’ delegates submitted proposals to the owners’ delegates, who unan. mously rejected them. These proposals required the rc-open-ing of the mines on the original basis. a,n investigation of the owners’ books and provision by the owners of a shilling a ton on the selling price of coal towards the fund for the alleviation of northern field miners not reabsorbed in this industry. , The owners’ counter-proposals which were rejected, insisted that the cost of production be reduced by some form of wage reduction and the discontinuance of the evil arising from the virtual control of the mines by the unions.

NEW DEVELOPMENT OP TIMBER DISPUTE. CARPENTERS AND OTHERS i CALLED OUT. SYDNEY, April 17. A new crisis has been precipitated in the timbef dispute. The timber merchants and master builders flooded a building under construction in the city with “black” timber . The unions therefore called out the carpenters and other Employees of the building trade.