MINERS' STRIKE MENACE

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 14927, 27 February 1912, Page 7

MINERS' STRIKE MENACE

BETTER OUTLOOK REPORTED.

A CONFERENCE SUGGESTED

By Tfll^Kiaph.— Association .—Copyright.

(Received February 26, 10.10 p.m.)

London, February 26. The newspapers record brighter prospects with regard to the mining trouble, as there is a likelihood of the South Wales, Scotch, Durham, and Northumberland owners falling into line with the Miners' Federation in recognising a minimum wage. There is much comment on the fact that four days' negotiations were wasted. It is explained that the executive of the Miners' Federation told the Prime Minister, Mr. Asquith, on Thursday that they were not empowered to confer until they had consulted the Miners' National C inference. Meetings were held on Saturday and Sunday to elect delegates, to confer on Tuesday, when Mr. Asquith is expected to address the conference. A leading Derbyshire owner states that the last chance of averting a strike is for Mr. Asquith on Tuesday to ask the miners to post- | pone their strike notices and to ask the owners to deal with the question of abnormal places immediately, leaving the question of the minimum wage to be negotiated afterwards. A movement against a strike has arisen among the Warwickshire miners, and another ballot will be taken this week. GERMAN MINERS' DEMANDS, ANTI-SYMPATHY ARGUMENT. (Received February 36. 10.10 p.m.) Berlin, February 26. The miners of the Ruhr coalfield (the second largest in Germany, in the Rhine and Westphalia provinces) have held 20 meetings, covering 370,000 miners. Resolutions were passed declaring that the increase of wages is insufficient to compensate for the increased cost of living, and authorising the leaders to take steps to secure the concessions demanded. A manifesto issued by the Christian Miners deprecates a sympathetic strike to assist the English strikers. The idea is opposed both on political and national grounds. It is stated that the British miners, by their ambiguous attitude in connection with the German strike in 1905, were not deserving of support, as they seized every opportunity to capture the markets, forcing Germans to work short time when they resumed. The Christian Miners' organisation numbers 53,000. THE NATIONALISATION CRY. London, February 25. Replying to Mr. Wra. Field (Irish i Nationalist) in the House of Commons yesterday, the Prime Minister, Mr, Asquith, said that he was unable to regard favourably the suggestion that the coalfields should be nationalised. The executive of the Lancashire and Cheshire Miners' Association instructed the delegates to Tuesday's important conference to refuse to suspend the strike notices. Mr. Keir Hardie said that only the concession of the men's demands could effect a settlement. The miners were not going to LloydGeorge, like the railway-men. Sending troops implied that the miners were hooligans and blackguards. The Lord Mayor of London presided over a conference of Mayors of the United Kingdom. All largo towns were represented. It was resolved that the claims of the community outweighed any conceivable difference dividing the negotiations. Several speakers urged the rights of the nation, as a third party, to be heard. An increased number of large firms have notified their intention to suspend in the event of a strike. The Chatham railway works at Ashford, , the North-western works .at Crewe, and the Glasgow steel works, totalling 10,000 men, also the Welsh tinplate works, employing 30,000, have given notice to their employees. EFFECT IN FRANCE. Paris, February 24. The threatened strike in Britain will paralyse many industries largely relying on English coal.