BROKEN HILL STRIKE.

Northern Advocate, 19 June 1920, Page 1

BROKEN HILL STRIKE.

STARTLING STATEMENTS.

LEAD SUPPLIED TO GERMANY,

'' The average life of a lead-miner at Broken Hill is thirty-six years, one year more than the average in the South African mines, and six years less than the 1910 Commission found to be-the average life of Cornish miners." "A recent commission at Broken Hill found 82 per cent, suffering from some form of occupational disease." A PLAIN STORY. Speaking quietly, almost sorrowfully, Mr. J. B. Williams uttered these astounding statements in his lecture at the Britannia Theatre. Mr. Williams is an accredited representative of the Broften Hill miners. Prior to his address, in connection with the fortnightly Labour meetings, Mr. J. O'Brien, of the N.Z. Miners' Federation, briefly spoke of the tragic distress prevailing at Broken Hill, and the human appeal which his Australian comrade had come to present. '' Do not expect,'' he said, '' anything but the simple story as told roughly by men who spend their days swinging the pick and spade. We are not professional speakers, and you mustn't expoct anything but a plain man's story, but I think, when you hear it, you will feel that it is a touching story, and you will feel, too, that while they do the fighting and starving it's up to us to do what we can to encourage and help them, for their cause is yours, and, in the long run, your cause is theirs." FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT TO LIVE. Mr. Williams, introduced by Mr. A. Price, the chairman, plunged at once into his subject, and deeply impressed his audience all through by his quiet restraint, evidently relying upon his facts rather than upon any expression of personal feeling. Indiguant denunciation was entirely absent, except, occasional outbursts from the audience, moved by the recital they heard.

Mr, Williams stated that the strike had been in progress fourteen months; that the women were even more determined than the men to prolong the . truggle till they won. They were not fighting for themselves only, but for all who came after them, for the right to live and to support their wives and children. Broken Hill was a town of widows and fatherless children. The husbands had not lived out their lives. They were stricken by some form of lead-poisoning, and died at aa early age, when other men would be in the fulness of their strength. The accident records showed 12,000 killed in the lead mines. There were over 2,000 accidents in twelve months. Of these accidents, three to one occurred at night. The reason was plain. It was a warm climate, and men came off the night shift with a temperature that ran up over 100 in the shade. They went to a tin shack, and tried to rest. The heat and close quarters broke up their sleep. They returned to work jaded and unfit. The miners had made this one of their demands —the abolition of the night shift. They also objected to the contract system. It was another source of accidents. The miners wanted fair conditions of safety, and systems of speeding up to get the last ounce of results were exacting a terrible toll in health and life. SIX-HOUR DAY DEMANDED. The chief demand was for a six-hour rlay. Lead mining was recognised as ! exceptionally dangerous. Thoy were reasonable people; they did not like starving. It was terrible to live as they were living on an allowance of 7s a week for a single man, and only a Utile more for the married. The length of hte strike was telling on their nerves. They were ill-clad, and the children }n -pitiful rags. There wurc time., when Ihe men could hardly bear to see their families suffer, but the wives and mothers had stood firm. They knew how much it meant to win. In March there was an offer to resume work. £ verything was granted but the six-hour day, and a big meeting of 4000 men refused to return to work. Two out of the -1000 voted to return. That was all. Starved and disheartened as the men were, they felt that to yield this was , to yield the most important point of nil. ATTITUDE OF RETURNED MEN. Returned soldiers came back and were told they must work, or lose their repatriation money. When they understood the position they joined the strikers, sacrificed their money, and went on the coupon Ijnc, When the war was on—the minors were on strike before —they were asked to go back on patriotic grounds,, for the sake of the men who needed ammunition in the

Flanders trenches. They thought there was something in that, and they went back in order to help win the war. They found afterwards that tho Broken Hill Mining Company had sold lead to England at £37 10s a ton and to Germany n. £14 10s a ton. (Shame.) There was a British mine there, controlled by German capital. Long after war began they were supplying lead to Germany. What returned soldiers thought of the strike could be seen in the fact that they collected £600 a week in Melbourne streets to support the people at Broken Hill. When New Zealand strikers needed help Broken Hill responded. They sent £5000 to Waihi. When the. London dock strike was oa Broken Hill cabled £2000 to help tho wives and children of their comrades. Labour was one the world over. They needed help themselvs now, in one of the biggest strikes on record. MEDICAL EVIDENCE. A number of medical opinions and hospital reports were quoted to show the danger of lead-mining, and the dire effects on health. A Royal Commission had beon appointed and was now sitting. '' When it's report is disclosed,'' said Mr Williams, ''there is no doubt that all who have helped . us in this struggle will be glad and proud they did it. They will realise then what the miners have endured and what they have fought for through all these months. '' QUESTIONS. A man in the audience asked why it was the State did not step in. Mr Williams replied that the Labour Government, had only just come into power, and they were taking steps. But no action had been taken before because of the influence exerted by the Employers' Federation, which had stiffened the companies and urged them not to yield the six-hour day, because if they did it would be demanded by all other workmen tho moment they

gave way,

EXCLUDED FROM CHARITY,

To another question Mr Williams replied that charity organisation were doing nothing for those who belonged to the Miners' Association. Things were so bad that once they went to the mine-owners to beg help for children whom the doctors said would die without more nourishment, and the owners gave them 100 cases of condensed milk. One thousand blankets had been sent up by charitable organisations, but bo miners or their wives eve-" had any. The mine-owners had themselves contributed £14,000 towards the distress funds.

The whole of the collection taken .after the address was handed to Mr Williams for the Broken Hill distress funds, and a committee formed to consider if further help could bo rendered by sympathisers in Whangarei.