UNION APPEALING FOR SUPPORT. GREYMOUTH, March 15.

Otago Witness, Issue 2818, 18 March 1908, Page 73

UNION APPEALING FOR SUPPORT. GREYMOUTH, March 15.

The position at Blackball has not changed since the Miners' Union, on Friday afternoon, decided to continue the strike till half an hour's "crib" time was granted and the manager gave a written guarantee that he would not victimise any of the men. Following on the refusal by the manager to grant these terms, the union meeting, after confirming the decision not to resume work, appointed Messrs P. H. Hiokey (one of the dismissed men) and Pritchard delegates to canvas the Dominion on behalf of. the union. Mr Hickey left on Saturday morning for Westport, where he held forth last evening, while Mr Pritchard goes to Christchurch to-morrow. Such a move as this was naturally interpreted to mean that a long and bitter fight will result, but information received last night tends to throw a different light on the subject. At Friday's meeting of the union the proceedings were very lively, and for those who advocated a return to work it was made very hot. When one miner got up and suggested abiding by the decision of the previous night, whereby a settlement was reached, he was greeted with cries: " Oh, he's a bosses' man," " Scab," "Blackleg," and other like epithets. This sort of thing soon silenced the opposition to the continuation of the strike. Now, however, a movement is afoot to take a secret ballot of the men on the question of returning to work, and if this eventuates, as 6eems likely, the case will probably result in a verdict in favour of terminating the strike. There were nearly 70 absentees from Friday's meeting, and it is held that a big majority of these are in favour of work being resumed. They will not, however, attend the meetings and endeavour to get the strike ended on account of the lively reception they would be accorded by the younger members, who alone seem determined to carry on the strike. The miners with families and homes are willing to return to work. There is no doubt that Mr Fitzgerald and other Socialists have a great influence ( at Blackball. The action of the Miners' Union has created a split in the ranks of the local Labour party. The section that supports its action is called the " ultra-Socialists" by the others, who desire to see the whole matter dealt with in a constitutional way by the Arbitration Court. Unless something unexpected happens, there is not the least likelihood of miners in other parts of the Coast going out in sympathy. At Tyne6ide the miners «ay they are earning good wages, and are quite satisfied. They are mostly men with families and homes, and they say they have nothing to complain of. "Why, therefore," they ask, " should' we strike because pi

the Blackball trouble, which should bo taken to court and settled." At the State mine all the prominent unionists are strongly opposed to a strike, which, they say, would be the woret thing that could ever happen. The miners are, therefore, confident that further complications in the direction indicated are not likely to come into existence. At We6tport the same feeling is said to exist, despite the fact that the medical test of the miners by the Westport Coal Company is made the subject of a strong appeal for the miners to take decisive action. Everything was in readiness for work' on Saturday morning, and the mine officials were in attendance, but no miners turned up, and the mine was closed. The manager has notified the miners that all the agreements and concessions agreed to by him are off. The miners claim that the decision of th* Arbitration Court is too severe.