LABOUR PARTY'S PROPOSALS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14698, 4 December 1909, Page 8

LABOUR PARTY'S PROPOSALS.

rejected by the proprietors. , . SIDNEY, December 3. (Received Dec. 4, at 1.30 a.m.) the Labour party submitted proposal* lor a settlement which suggested th; both parties should withdraw their letters to Mr Wade and start negotiations do novo with the proprietors and Strike Congress.

lhe proprietors rejected the proposals, but the congress, though it sent no ofli-V reply, is yet understood to be favourable.

Mr Hughes stated tonight that tho position for bringing the parties together was hopeless. The action of the lumpers over tho Palermo's coal is regarded as serious. Further developments ill con nection with the handling of imported coal are not improbable.

LOST TRADE,

OPPORTUNITY FOR OUTSIDERS.

LONDON, December 3. (Received Dec. 4, at. 0.40 a.m.) A very largo shipment of coal is king sent, to the west coast of America, as the result of the drop in the Australian shipments. THE OUTSIDE MINES, There nro a comparatively small number of collicrios outside tho vend. Tho ]vrincipal ono«3 are Waljwnd, Klleniorc Yaio, Burwood Extended, Young Wallsend and : Ebbw Yale. The output at "Walbend at ! prcMuio would probably reach 1500 tons a i day. although a much larger quantity could probably bo raided under pressure. Ella* , more "Vale and Bunvocd KxtenHed can raise About 250 tons a day each, and Young 1 Wallsend and Kbbw Yale'toother, by working three shifts, as it is proposed, could turn out about 2000 tons a day. TV total output, roughly, ivoukl' therefore bo about 4500 tons a day. To is output, however, is small when compared with the output of tho other iiiino? on tho fiekl connected with tho coal vend. Messrs J. and A. Drown a coiifeny at Pelaw Main a!ono could raiso about 5000 tons a day, and the total output of the iield has averaged during tho past year about . 80,000 tons a week. Should these mines break away from the Colliery Proprietors' Association, those proiirioloM who aro connected with tho vend may b?eomo rostloss, for, although the output from tho non*vetid mines may bo small, it will bu cold to those consumers who would agree to enter into contract wit.i thorn for regular supplies in future, iiiul the longer tho vend mines arc closed down, the more contracts thev aro likely to lo>9. During the last few year*, say? tho Daily Telegraph, some of tiieso mines nave worked up a big interstate coal trade, and they will not view the loss of theso contracts with equanimity. Wiiilst all the mines were idle, these who had the contracts would not show any anxiety; but

if certain mines commence work again it will bo another matter. Some ot' the vend mines also have already produced the niaximum quantity of coal for tho year that they ato entitled to soil under t.ho agreement made with the vend, am] any additional output will be levied on to support these mines which have not yet reached their maximum.