MINERS’ CONFERENCE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3773, 6 July 1926, Page 35

MINERS’ CONFERENCE.

FIASCO AT OSTEKD. DEFLATED CURRENCY AND NO MONEY. (From Oub Own Correspondent.) LONDON, May 18. . Mr F. Hodges and Mr Richardson, representatives of the British miners, travelled by air to Osfeend to take part in a special conference in which Mr A. J. Cook was, at the last moment, prevented from participating. At the meeting an immense red flag was displayed, and police protected the entrance to the hall. The British Gazette’s special correspondent reported that there had been a break down in the negotiations made the British miners' representative for Continental aid. They were refused a genera, foreign strike, and obtained only a food and coal embargo when and where possible. The British miners’ struggle to obtain concrete foreign help raged throughout the night and continued next morning, when the transport workers met first and the miners later. Mr Hodires made a desperate effort to win this last trump card. The transport leaders of France, Germany, Belgium and Holland were presided over bv M. Fimmen. and with them were the Bel gian representatives of the Post. Tele graph, and Telephone services. Except that whole conference was on a much larger scale, it was significant to notice that most of the foreign delegates of the miners who made such vague non-committal promises at the Brussels conference some weeks ago. were again at (Mend, including Hausmann. Limberz, and Berger, representing Germany. Polish and Hungarian miners leaders, who promised much at the Brussels conference, excused themselves from Ostend.

The requests made by the British miners’ representatives were based on a resolution passed at a small meeting of the Interna tional Mining Conference, held at Brussels in April. That resolution was very vague and non-committal, and the British leaders wished to bind the foreign representatives to concrete promises. THREE REQUESTS. The requests, explains the British Gazette, may be divided into three parts:— 1. The possibility of a general strike abroad. This possibility arose from the final clause in the Brussels resolution, which read thus: “In the event of a national strike being decided upon, after consideration by «he competent national organisation, the International Committee agrees that the national organisations shall not terminate the strike liefore a sound basis has been found in all countries for the resumption of work.” 2. Montary aid. 3. Necessary action to prevent coal being exported to Great Britain. The conference included mining representatives of France. Germany, Holland, and Spain. The first request broke down early in the conference, when the German delegates made it clear that, as the most Important foreign conl-produclng country, they had sufficient reserves to carry on home and export work for many months to come, and that a general strike was therefore out of the question. Owing to the economic conditions tn most countries abroad any adequate monetary help soon appeared Impossible, but it was decided to state in the final communique that “efforts are being made to organise financial relief In all the affiliated countries for the British miners.” These efforts are not likely to meet with any great succesa. as most of the, delegates were of the opinion that mining organisations in countries with deflated currency could hardly be expected to send pounds sterling to Great Britain. This point was reiterated In many Belgian newspapers during the meeting. There remained, therefore, the question of embargo. This is the least important of the Urea requests, but even so it met

with a good deal of opposition on certain grounds, and many hours were spent before a unanimous resolution could be drafted. Germany was in this connection again a sore point for Mr Hodges. It was quite clear that the Ruhr was the key to the situation, but Germany felt that she was already making a great deal of money by exporting coal abroad to countries which would otherwise receive their supplies from England. Her lenders, however, realised only too well that the downfall of the British trade unions would hit them personally, and they therefore wished to help England as much as possible, while conceding as little as possible. It was, there-, fore, decided to call a conference at Duisburg to discuss an embargo from the Ruhr. Belgium has already conceded all she could on this point. There is already * fairly efficient embargo at Antwerp, but she pointed out that the same time that a food embargo, which Mr Hodges asked for, was not altogether practicable at every, port, and especially at the minor ports. In the end the official communique disguised the situation by stating: “No coal will be sent to Great Britain during the strike, and efforts are being made to place a food embargo when and- where possible.*’ During the first hours of the conference the mining representatives and the transport representatives sat independently. Later they united, and drafted a short communique, which congratulated the English miners on their firmness, and stated that there was complete accord among the mining delegates. GERMANY’S POINT OF VIEW. It is officially recorded that in Berlin the c eeling is that the strike concerns English political life, and the German miners foresee that, in whatever way the miners’ problem is settled, the result will not particularly benefit them. A director of the Preussag. the organisation that administers the Prussian State coal and iron and other min 23, who it also a Socialist member of tbe Prussian Diet, says, “It is to Germany’s interest first, that England should be left to tight out her struggle alone, and, secondly, that w r Uiie the English struggle is going on, Germany should endeavour to reconquer the markets which in normal times lake her coal. The German's shirt must ’ nearer to us than the coat of ♦he English mining industry.” In agreement with their leaders decision, the Hamburg workei • are refusing to bunker English ships. The German trades unions have passed a resolution in which they »ffer tv help the English trades unions by adding to the strikers* funds, and will distribute lists among their members. The Communists express the greatest indignation that -lie trades unions have not decided to make the subscription compulsory. heir newspaper, the Rote Fahne, publishes a picture of Mr MacDonald in u frock coat and with the inscription that this is the man who ia conducting sec.et negotiations with Mr Baldwin in the hope of strangling the strike.