THE COAL CRISIS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20905, 20 December 1929, Page 11

THE COAL CRISIS

MILITANTS COLLECT ARMS.

MAGAZINE BROKEN INTO.

NUMBER OF HOTELS CLOSED,

(United Pres* Association.)

(By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) SYDNEY, December 19. A Rothbury message states that the officials of the Stanford Merthyr colliery discovered that the powder magazine at the mine had been broken into and a case of explosives and a large of detonators had been stolen. . rri mesßa g e reports that the militants are collecting arms and ammunition.

Police action at Cessnock resulted in the prohibition of the sale of either guns or cartridges. All hotels in the mining areas have been closed, even to travellers and boarders.

Five unassociated collieries in the Cessnock district, where the miners ceased work to attend the funeral of Norman Brown, did not reopen yester-

Strenuous efforts are being made by the moderates to have mass picketing stopped. It is understood that the members of the Rothbury Miners* Lodge have decided not to take an active part in any further demonstration.

THE LATEST DEVELOPMENT

MEN ORDERED TO RESUME,

SYDNEY, December 19,

(Received Dec. 19, at 9 p.m.) The chief development to-day in the coal dispute was the action of Mr Justice Beeby in the Federal Arbitration Court in ordering immediate resumption of work at all idle mines under prestoppage conditions and rates of pay. Legal argument occupied several hours* Counsel for the Commonwealth Government and the Miners’ Federation produced affidavits setting forth that a grave industrial dispute exists in New South Wales and Victoria as a result of the "miners being locked out since March 2 last.”

: Mr Shand, K.C., counsel for the coal owners, contended that the court had no jurisdiction to intervene, while an officer of the State Justice Department submitted that the State Government, not being a party to any miners* award, could not now be Joined as respondent in any Arbitration Court proceedings. Mr Justice Beeby interjected: To be quite candid, 1 am acting under extraordinary powers and I have formed the opinion that the only way to save the Commonwealth from a very disastrous upheaval is to restore the status quo as in March last.”

He then ordered resumption of work as from 10 a.m. to-morrow.

PICKETS AT ROTHBURY,

FORCES VERY MUCH REDUCED.

SYDNEY, December 19. (Received Dec. 19, at 11 p.m.) A report from Rothbnry Colliery to-day states that the mine is again picketed, but only by a small group of local strikers. The Minister of Mines (Mr Weaver) announces that work at Rothbnry is proceeding uninterruptedly and satisfactorily. The police guard at Rothbury railway has been strengthened. It was reported in Parliament to-day that a miner was injured In the Rothbnry Colliery yesterday, but Mr Weaver declared that be had no knowledge of it. The business people of the Cessnock coalfields held a meeting to-day, and it la understood that they are advising the Premier to discontinue operations at the Rothbury owing to the likelihood of further serious classes, for which the Premier would have to take full responsibility. The proposed one-day strike as a pro test against the Rothbury shooting was a fiasco, no workers participating from any Industry in the metropolitan area. The Commonwealth Government denies the report that it intends to commandeer one of the northern coal mines.

*•' THE COURT’S JURISDICTION,

LAW TO BE TESTED,

SYDNEY, December 19. (Received Dec. 20, at 1.45 a.m.) The Premier (Mr T. R. Bavin) announced that the Crown Solicitor has been instructed to apply to the High Court of Australia for a writ of prohibition restraining the Federal Arbitration Court from attempting to exercise jurisdiction over the State Government. He added that work at the Rothbury colliery will continue until it was ascertained how the law stood in regard to the Arbitration Court's jurisdiction.