BROKEN HILL STRIKE

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 10686, 4 September 1920, Page 6

BROKEN HILL STRIKE

MINERS IDLE FOR SIXTEEN MONTHS. QUESTIONS -IN" PARLLiMENT, "Would the Prime Minister have piri before the people of New Zealand the true history of the strike and of tnt state of the affairs at Broken Hill? asked Mr R. W. Smith (Waimarino). in the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon. Collections, on behalf of the wives and children of the strikers, who were alleged to be starving, were being made in New Zealand, and he thought that the hardworking people who were being asked to subscribe should have full information on the point. He was told thai the strike bad been going on for lb months, 'and that the husbands -and fathers had all that time been content to remain idle while their-wives ari3 children were forced to suffer, though there was nothing to prevent the men taking up other work as selfpeople would. Was it fair, he asked, to allow hard-working sections of the people in New Zealand to be preved upon by such men? Mr Massey said that he was afraid ho ivas not possessed of sufficiently full information to give an opinion upon all the points raised. He knew, of course, that the strike had been in operation for a considerable, time past, and it was probably correct that it had already lasted 16 months. He knew of no reason why the men should not obtain work in other directions. .

Mr H. E. Holland duller): Yoo know where Broken Hill is situated, 1 suppose. Mr Massey said that there would be no difficulty in ' finding other and good remunerative employment in New Zealand. If it was possible for the men to obtain work, he thought it would be a much more self-respecting course. He thought that the honourable gentleman's question was likely to let many of the people of New Zealand know as much as possible of ■nhat was taking place: .■ Mr McCombs (Lyttelton) :• We will let them know. -'■';' Mr Holland: "We are letting them know all the time. Mr "W. E. Parry (Auckland Central): You will hear all about it.