WORKERS AND MUNITIONS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16477, 1 September 1915, Page 5

WORKERS AND MUNITIONS

SOUTH WALES MINERS RESUMING. CONCESSION BY THE OWNERS. LONDON, August 30. Ten thousand of the Monmouthshire strikers are resuming work at the collieries pending a conference. It is understood that the coal-owners have agreed to include in the agreement the workers excluded by Mr Runciman. THE CRUX OF THE TROUBLE. NIGHT WORKERS' QUESTION. LONDON, August 31. (Received Aug. 31, at 8 p.m.) The crux of the South Wales Conference was whether enginemen, stokers, pumpmen, and banksmen should be regarded as night workers, as the miners contended. Messrs Lloyd George, Runciman, and Henderson had previously agreed that all workmen on night shifts should be paid six turns for five turns worked. Certain proposals made will be submitted to the miners' delegates at a meeting to be held at Cardiff to-day. LIQUOR REGULATIONS APPLIED. SOME STRIKING, FIGURES. (Times and Sydney Sun Services.) LONDON, August 30. (Received Aug. 31, at 7.60 p.m.) The liquor regulations have been applied in important munition areas with striking results. Figures compiled by the police show a considerable reduction in convictions for . drunkenness—in many places equal to 50 per cent. The change is due to the prohibition of treating and rather drastic limitation of hours. The publicans complain of a serious drop in their takings, but the natural result has been to send more customers to the tradesmen's counters. AMERICAN FACTORIES SUFFER. FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS. DELAYING SUPPLIES FOR THE ALLIES. NEW YORK, August 31. (Received Aug. 31, at 9.35 p.m.) Attempts to interfere with the shipment of munitions for the Allies are reported. The glazing mills of the American Powder Company have been blown up, and as a result orders for .Europe have been delayed for several weeks. Two workmen were killed at Wilmington, where two black powder mills belonging to the Dupont Company were blown up. A mysterious fire damaged the plant of the Baltimore Machinists' Company, .which recently obtained an order for shrapnel casings.

SUCCESSFUL MEDIATION. TENTATIVE ACREEMENt REACHED. LONDON, August 31. (Received Aug. 31, at 9 p.m.) The conference was resumed in Lon* don this morning, and it is hoped that a satisfactory adjustment will be reached in time for submission to the ; Cardiff Conference. In the afternoon the joint confer* ence was not held, but Messrs Lloyd George and Runciman acted as inter* mediaries, and Were in consultation with either party alternately. The negotiations went smoothly, and a tentative agreement .was reached lor a supplementary award of a bonus to every night worker." Also a date was agreed, on which the wage advances would be retrospective. After the miners had returned, Mr Runciman intimated that a hitch had arisen necessitating further delibera> tions. It is understood that the culty is- not between the coal'owners and the miners, but between both and the Government.

All agreed to resume the conference this morning, when an agreement is likely. - '