COAL STRIKE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18280, 24 June 1921, Page 5

COAL STRIKE

TRIAL OF ENDUE iNCE. HOSTILE DEMONSTRATIONS POLICE PROTECT SAFETY MEN. Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright. LONDON. June 22. (Received June 23, at 10.20 p.m.) The only development of the coal dispute is the fixing of a joint conference for Saturday between the Miners’ Executive and the other trade unions threatened with wage cuts. The miners are not building much hope upon a general strike. It is more probable that an effort will be niada to secure bigger financial support for the' miners. Speaking at a mass meeting at Merthyr, Mr Noah Ablett advocated Hie withdraw;ing of the safety men from the mines tb hasten the end of what will become a trial of endurance. Stocks of coal in the country will soon be exhausted. - The miners would still win if they stuck together. . Strikers tried to prevent tne safety men from working in a West Lothian nune today, but a detachment of Royal Scots, was summoned, and escorted the safety men to the pits. Exciting scenes were witnessed at Holly-* bank colliery, in Staffordshire. Five hundred miners started to work, and a big body of strikers attempted to prevent them, but 100 police arrived and guarded the colliery,' enabling the 500 to work unmolested, though they were subjected to hostile demonstrations when returning) to their homes.—A. and N.Z. Cable. THE INDUSTRY STAGNANT, BLAST FURNACES IDLE. LONDON, June 22. (Received June 23, at 10 p.m.) Since the New Year 70,000,000 working, days have been lost owing to Labour putes. For th© first time in the histoty of the industry in Great Britain not a single blast furnace is operating. Normally 300 should be working. It \yill cost £SOOO tb rekindle each furnace, so at least' £1,000,000 must be expended to re-estab-lish the industry, in which 325,000 workmen are now idle.—A. and N.Z. Cable.