THE RAND STRIKE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18465, 28 January 1922, Page 9

THE RAND STRIKE

GOLD MINES DISPUTE. NO SIGN OF SETTLEMENT. STATEMENT BY THE MEN. Press Association —Tij Telegraph—Copyright. CAPETOWN, January 26. So far there is no sign of a settlement of the strike at the gold mines. At a conference the men’s representatives argued that the mine officials should, be retrenched correspondingly with the miners. They declined to accept the figures of the ratios presented on hehalt of the Chamber of' Mines, and declared that the present crisis is temporary, and that the chamber was taking advantage of this to force the position and get nd of the white miners. The official summary states that the men’s cause is more a matter of charges against the mine-owners than of argument on the existing situation.—Reuter. A SERIOUS OUTLOOK. THE COAL MINES ISSUE. CONFERENCE VIRTUALLY ENDED. CAPETOWN, January 26. The colliery section of the Chamber of Mines has withdrawn its offer to the coal miners, on the ground that sufficient time has elapsed for them to, give an answer. .Subsequently notices were posted at the 'collieries discharging all the strikers. The federation submitted to the Chamber of Mines proposals for a basis of settlement with regard to the coal section, and asked for the withdrawal of the notices and' the submission of. the dispute to arbitration. . As regards the gold section, the federation asked for the withdrawal of all notices arid no interference whatever with the status quo of the agreement.. The federation and the unions separately are prepared to discuss with the employers all other questions in dispute in conference in accordance with past procedure. No settlement of the general strike will be made until various outstanding disputes are settled. When the Strike Conference resumed the workers continued their attacks upon the chamber’s proposals, and declared that the Government and the Chamber of Mines were in collusion, and that' the mine-owners were limiting the production in order to increase the profits. Ope delegate said that the men would not be defeated without bloodshed. The’conference has virtually ended, the men’s delegates declaring that no good purpose could be served by continuing the discussions. The representatives of the Chamber of Mines emphatically protested against the termination bt the conference, before they were given an opportunity to reply to the men’s charges. No afternoon session was held, but the conference will meet to-morrow to hear the result of 4 the proposals ■ which the federation submitted to the chamber as given above, —Reuter.