BRITISH COAL STRIKE

Otago Witness, Issue 3773, 6 July 1926, Page 29

BRITISH COAL STRIKE

THE ARMISTICE PROPOSAL. LONDON. June 27. Mr A. J. Cook, the miners’ secretary, adopted a more moderate attitude in i speech at Tamworth. He that the time had arrived for ao armistice. The Government should drop the Eight-Hours Bill and arrange a conference. It is believed, however, that Mr Baldwin will refuse again to meet Mr Cook until he apologises for his recent speech in which he called Mr Baldwin a liar. Mr Baldwin regards it not only as a personal affront, but as directed against the Prime Minister. MINERS’ VIEW MODIFIED. LONDON. June 28. The week in Parliament will be devoted to the Coal Bills which manifestly will be fiercely contested. Meanwhile a settlement does not seem any nearer. The Trade Union Council is launching a national publicity campaign to place the miners’ case before the public and secure a levy from the trade unions on the plea that the working classes are thus defending their standards of living. The executive of the Miners’ Fedeia-' tion will meet in London on Tuesday to consider whether to agree to the policy of lower wages, but longer hours. a substantial section of the executive is now willing to advise the men to take less pa L Herbert Smith and Mr Cook are making continual protests against the transport and railway workers moving coal. WHAT WOULD CHRIST HAVE DONE? LONDON, June 27. Mr Lloyd George, in a remarkable speech at the Welsh Baptist Chapel, in London, recalled the late Mr W. T. Stead’s ‘‘lf Christ Came to Chicago.” Mr Lloyd George declared that if Christ had come to London during the general strike His utterances would certainly have been excluded from the British Gazette. Probably the Home Secretary would have had Christ watched as a dangerous character for preaching doctrines subversive to our institutions If this had happened, probably the next edition of the Gospels tn the twenty-first centuTy would not be published from the disciples’ recollections, but from notes by the police attending His addresses. Probably owing to His support of the Primate’s appeal for conciliation, Christ would have been excluded from the Liberal “Shadow Cabinet.” All Christ’s doctrines were revolutionary, subversive and disintegrating. EXTENSION OF HOURS BILL. LONDON, June 28. In the House of Commons Sir A. SteelMaitland (Minister of Labour) moved the second reading of the Coal Mines Bill, which he described as a temporary measure to permit, but not to compel, an extra hour of work daily while negotiations were being continued. He said that the miners’ leaders would not agree to any of the concessions recommended by the Coal Commission. The only way out that the Government could see was an extension of hours to meet an exceptional case. Stephen Walsh (Labour) moved the rejection of the Bill. Among other arguments which he advanced was one that the operation of the Bill would entail the dismissal of one-ninth of the mine workers employed. The Labourites strongly opposed the Bill, alleging that one of the results would be increased working hours in the coal mines abroad. Sir John Simon (Liberal) also opposed the measure. He urged the Government to legislate boldly on the lines of the Royal Commission’s report. A June 29. The House of Commons passed the second reading of the Miners’ Eight Hours Bill by 355 votes to 162 after a stormy debate in which the Labourites constantly and angrily interrupted. Amongst other charges made against the Government, Mr J. Westwood asked if Mr Baldwin had 200,000 shares in Messrs Baldwin’s (Ltd.), and whether he had interfered with the Coal Commission’s report by dictating what should appear. Other Labourites asked if a member who had such a financial interest in the coal problem should be allowed to vote. When the uproar subsided Mr Baldwin said it was an unqualified misrepresentation to say that he had interfered with the commission’s report. It was true that he held shares in Messrs Baldwin’s (Ltd.), which represented the bulk of his investments. He could have become very wealthy during the war from that block of shares, but he had declined and had refused to invest abroad. He had received nominee from the shares for five years and did not expect to. The conclusion of the Prime Minister’s speech was drowned in a storm of cheers and counter-cheers. June 30. Tn the House of Commons at the Committee stage of the Coal Mines Bill Mr Ramsay Macdonald said that the Labourites regarded the measure as too bad in principle fa* them to attempt to move amendments. The Labourities would wipe it off the Statute Book at the first opportunity. The only amendment-submitted was one by the Labourite Mr J. Wedgwood Benn proposing to insert a provision that the Bill might be suspended or repealed by a resolution of both Houses. Mr Benn taid that foreign countries were watching closely such legislation and he did aot wish the measure to btart international competition in sweating. The amendment ;?as defeated by 230 votes to 25. The Labourites abstained from voting.

The House concluded the Committee stage of the Bill after a lengthy debate in which the Government applied the closure and securt J majorities ranging from 135 to 139 on the main clauses oi the Bill. SAFETY MEN IN MINES. LONDON, June 29. Replying to Mr Cook’s threat to withdraw the safety men from the mines Mr Shirkie (secretary of the Federation of Colliery Enginemen) says that the federation is tired of this threat. Mr Cook, he added, knows well that the matter is in tho hands of the Enginemen’s Federation, which decided on its policy prior to the stoppage, and has no thought of reconsidering the arrangements made with the Coal-owners’ Associations. June 30. The Federation Executive for three hours discussed, inter alia, the question of with, drawing the safety men from the pits’ in consequence of complaints that the colliery managers were violating the local agreements. The executive decided at present to adhere to the decision to allow the Jaetv men to continue, as their withdrawal would unfairly penalise the colliery companies which were loyally observing the agreement. MONEY FROM RUSSIA. LONDON, January 28. The Daily Mail’s Riga correspondent says that Saturday was the day of the “Red Pickaxe,” the police calling on every family in Moscow and compelling contributions to the British miners. This was the inauguration of a Russia-wide campaign, which is expected to yield £600,000. AN OMINOUS SIGN. LONDON, June 29. The Miners’ Executive, after a review of the position on the coalfields, unanimously decided to resist an increase in hours or a reduction of wages. NO SIGN OF AGREEMENT. The coal stoppage is entering upon its third month and the prospects of reopening negotiations are as remote as ever. It is understood that the Marquis of London, derry has been in communication with certain Opposition front-benchers lut without result. The Daily Express states that the employers are confident that tliev have broken the resistance of the Miner’s Federation and that with the passage jf the Eight Hours Bill the men will show their willingness to return to work on district agreements. The Morning Post’s Labour correspondent declares that when the mine-owners post their new terms after the Eight Hours Bill has received Royal assent they will be able on an eight-hours basis to guarantee the rates of pay ruling before the stoppage to 850,000 out of a total of 1,100,000 miners. On the contrary the miners’ leaders aver that the men will continue their resistance until the middle of September. HEATED DEBATE IN COMMONS. LONDON, July 1. In the House of Commons the final stage of the Coal Mines Hours Bill opened menacingly. Mr J. Batey (Labour) asked the Speaker not to press the third reading, declaring that if be did so no Minister would be allowed to speak. The Speaker said that his duty was to conduct the business of the House, and he intended to do so. Mr W. C. Bridgeman (First Lord of the Admiralty) then moved the third reading. He was repeatedly interrupted by the Labourites, who accused him of provocation. Mr Bridgeman said that he was detending the leader of his party when he had been called a murderer and a liar. ..lr Jack Jones interrupted with, “You are a murderer,” and refused to withdraw, and left the House. As he did so he turned towards the Minister, shouting: “The whole gang of you are murderers.” Mr Bridgeman was then allowed to proceed with his speech. Mr Batey, on failing to prevent Mr Bridgeman speaking, left the House. The Speaker repeatedly had to rebuke the Labourites for interrupting the debate. Mr V. Hartshorn declared that the passage of the Bill would raise the most awful situation that had ever been known in the mining industry. It would depress tl standard of life of the miners throughout the world. All the workers of the country considered Mr Baldwin the greatest enemy of the workers of the last generation. Mr Baldwin declared that the Miners’ Federation had refused to bridge the gap between the selling price of coal and the cost of production or produce a policy for the interim period required for reorganisation. This had driven the Government to adopt its present attitude. Unless negotiations which he had fruitlessly endeavoured to arrange between the contending parties were possible there appeared to be very little hope of anything being done. If the federation even now could accept the report and all it implied, which was what the federation had struggled for in April, he believed a mutually satisfactory settlement could be reached. The Bill was read a third time by 332 votes to 147. MR BALDWIu’S SPEECH. LONDON, July 2. The Mines Eight Hours Bill, should it be given Royal Assent on Wednesday, stands alone as a lever to force negotiations, though Mr Baldwin’s conciliatory speech has aroused speculation in the lobbies whether the Government is now willing to force the whole of the Coal Commission’s report on the mine-ownera if the Miners’ Federation accept# it. However the matter is outside the range of practical politics as the miners’ leaders show no signs of weakening.

The Daily Telegraph’s Labour correspondent, however, records that 400 miners returned to work at the old rates for eight hours at Castleford. This is a significant example and may have the widest effect in the West Yorkshire coalfields, RECONSTRUCTION PLAN. LONDON, July 1. The Daily Mail says that the principal difficulty in the unofficial coal negotiations arises from the miners’ plan, which necessitates a 40-year loan of £20,000,000, guaranteed by the miners, the owners, and the Government to carry out the reconstruction of the poorer mines. Mr Churchill is embarrassed by the drop in revenue as a result of the slowing down of the wheels of industry, and is unable to promise that the Government will participate in the guarantee. STRIKE SAioTAGE. LONDON, July 1. Eight Cramlington miners received sentences ranging from four to eight years penal servitude at the Newcastle Assizes for participating in the derailment of the Flying Scotsman during the general strike^ TRADE UNIONS STRONGER THAN EVER. LONDON, July 2. That the trade unions movement is not broken, but is stronger as a result of the general strike, and that all the resources must be mobilised to defeat the Government’s policy of surrounding the miners with a cordon of famine and despair by generally increasing the hours and reducing wages is the keynote of a declaration by the Trade Unions Council to the affiliated unions, urging that soliditary should be maintained, with the provision of funds for the miners, their dependents, and all the victimised minere.