BLANK ASPECT

Northern Advocate, 27 January 1922, Page 5

BLANK ASPECT

SOUTH AFRICAN DISAGREEMENT.

RETRENCHMENT OF OFFICIALS.

MINERS' DEMAND.

(Received 10.30 a.m.)

CAPETOWN, Jan. 26. So far there is no sign of a settlement of the strike.

At the gold mines conference the men's representatives argued that the mine officials should be retrenched correspondingly with the miners. They declined to accept the figures of the ratios presented on behalf of the Chamber of Mines, and declared that the present crisis was temporary and that the Chamber of Mines was taking advantage of that fact to force the position and get rid of the white miners.

The official summary states that the men's case is more a matter of charges against the mine owners than argument on the existing situation.—Reuter.

SETTLEMENT BASIS.

FEDERATION CONDITIONS,

(Received 12.45 p.m.)

CAPETOWN, Jan. 26.

The colliery section of the Chamber of Mines has withdrawn its offer to the coal miners on the ground that sufficient time has elapsed for them to give an answer. Subsequently notices were posted at the collieries discharging all the strikers.

The Federation submitted to the Chamber of Mines proposals for a basis of settlement with regard to the coal section and asked for withdrawal of the notices and submission of the dispute to arbitration. As regards the gold section the withdrawal of all notices is asked for and no interference whatever with the status quo agreement. The Federation and the unions separately are prepared to discuss with the employers all other questions in dispute in conference. In accordance with past procedure no settlement of the general strike will be made until the various outstanding disputes are settled. When the strike conference Tesumed the workers continued their attacks upon the Chamber's proposals. They declared that the Government and the Chamber of Mines were in collusion and that the mine owners were limiting production in order to increase the profits. One delegate said that the men would not be defeated without bloodshed. The conference has virtually ended, the men's delegates declaring that no good purpose could be served by continuing the discussions. The representatives of the Chamber of Mines emphatically protested against the termination of the conference before they had been given an opportunity to reply to the men's charges.

No afternoon session was held, but the conference will meet to-morrow to hear the Tesults of the proposals which the Federation has submitted to the Chamber of Mines.—Reuter.