N.S. WALES COLLIERY STRIKE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14715, 24 December 1909, Page 7

N.S. WALES COLLIERY STRIKE

. SOME WHARF LABOURERS CEASE I ' '~ 'WORK.' , OBJECTION.'TO NON-UNION LABOUR. ; STRIKE LEADERS COMMITTED FORTRIAL. - Press' Association-By Telegraph-Copyright. - " : ;, .- 1 - ' SYDNEY; Decehiber 23. J-'h'o. wharf labourers work on a German mail steamer, and' a fveHit:flearner because, the former was. bunkering with alleged non-union coal. The crews took the place of the strikers. AH hopes of a settlement in the southern mines have been abandoned til] the New Year. The miners' secretary has announced that there will be no further meetings till New Year's Eve. Tli« coal gas gave out at Bathurst 10 days ago. Since then a supply has been obtained from wood, which yielded at the rate of 11,700 ft, or eight candle-power of gas per ton. A small'' addition of shale gas brought the strength up to 16 candlepower. (Received Dec. 23, at 11.10 p.m.) Messrs .Bowling, Lewis, Brennan, Bums and Gray have been committed for trial at Newcastle. Bail was granted. The supply of gas at. North Sydney has been resumed. A HARBOUR BOARD MOTION. MR BELCHER'S APPEAL. . According to notice, Mr Belcher mdved at yesterday's meeting of the Otago Harbour Board-"That -this board express .its ..sympathy with the .miners.and their talents now struggling for freedom at Newcastle- (New, South Wales); tliat we deplore the obstinacy ,an<l stupidity' of - the empovers who hare driven.the. miners--to rorolt- against unfair conditions, • thus 'causing widespread loss and inconvenience to tte. community generally; that the board's luctical sympathy with the minors bo Jiown by voting the sum of £25 to the fund „o* being raised for the assistance 01 the miners." Mrßolcfer said that the board had been noted, uv-trro part for its generosity and beraity in™ respects, and ho hoped lmHt would still maintain its prestige in .that the--board had made a'donation of 'g>-im institutron-which hi did not link the board had a right to do,-.md his habit of making this donation seemed to tea hahit that the board had got into. I AHo board had also .'shown ■ itself very ibcral in makuig- donations to the relatives ot servants, and in provid-ine for ex-sen-ants. VH« thought that the board, by adopting; the resolution he proposed, mi-dit snow its apprcciution of the immeneo -trpAible now. going on in Newcastle. They all knew perfectly well that men were apt sometimes to bo unreasonable, and to do unreasonable things, for which they were WoDibroujrht .to book, by those who bad no hesitation in reminding- them of their .-failures... the men in' Newcastle wore nor ,n that position. Those acquainted nith the circumstances could come to no other conclusion than that these poor untortunato men had been designedly and deliberately,;driven into the position they at present occupied by the employers. The men had borne, much, but human endur■JTt. 11 n Ji mlt ' ai^ d tkt Jilllit "ad been reached b.v these unhappy men. He went on to deal at length with the position of .st-ukers and. employers, and 'concluded:.1 think that this board would be doin»a just and wise and humanitarian thin° M&*t w >:ote tllis Sum of morio - v for t !l « relict of thoes poor people in Newcastle." . iliero.was no seconder to the - motion, ' ulnch consequently lapsed.