BRITISH COAL STRIKE

Otago Witness, Issue 3782, 7 September 1926, Page 30

BRITISH COAL STRIKE

DISSENSION IN MINERS’ RANKS. LONDON, September 1. Evidence accumulates regarding the miners’ differences and the struggle within the executive in consequence of which, according to the Daily Herald the executive is making no recommendation to the delegate conference to be held in London to-morrow. It is stated that Mr Herbert Smith commands a majority of the executive in favour of the “diehard” policy. The men will have to frame proposals themselves or carry on until exhaustion. of the Labour members of the House of Commons and the miners’ leaders before - yesterday’s debate, pleaded for something constructive to place before the House of Commons, but neither on wages nor on ' hours could be extract anything,” states the Daily Telegraph’s parliamentary correspondent. “The miners were so hopelessely divided that they could only appeal to the Labour Commoners to invite the Government to make propositions for peace. Thus Mr MacDonald wss helpless.” SHORTAGE OF STEEL. LONDON, August 31. The Daily News states that owing to the steel shortage, due to the coal strike, Messrs Harland and Wolff are unable to build 12 large vessels which are on order Other firms are similarly situated. The British blast furnaces have been reduced from 14 7 to eight. The makers of rails and locomotives are hard hit. ASSISTANCE FROM SOVIET. BERLIN, September 1. An organisation of Russian Communist workmen which is opposed to the Soviet regime, has sent a letter to the British Trades Union Congress protesting against the money sent to the miners being taken from hungry, ill-paid workers. It alleges that the Russian worker gets 36 roubles a month from which 10 per cent, is deducted for various political organisations under Government control. SOUTH STAFFORDSHIRE PITS. LONDON, September 2. Owing to financial difficulties a section of the South Staffordshire coal-owners have ceased pumping operations except at one station. As a .consequence several pits which normally employ 3000 men -will become derelict. NEW NATIONAL AGREEMENT ASKED FOR. LONDON, September 4. After an all-day conference yesterday in which Mr Ramsay Macdonald took part Mr Cook sent a letter to Mr Winston Churchill, saying: “The executive and the delegates at the conference having carefully considered the deadlock, have received to Ask you to convene and attend • conference of the Mining Association

and the Miners’ Federation. We are prepared to enter into negotiations for a new national agreement, with a view to a reduction in labour costs to meet the immediate necessities of the industry.” An official communique says the Government considers the letter constitutes a basis sufficient to justify it in requesting the owners to resume negotiations, and is communicating with them. Mr Macdonald, when informed of the result of the letter said he was glad to have been of some service. He hoped that common sense would prevail and a settlement be achieved.

a District association matter. LONDON, September 4. The next question is whether Mr Churchill can persuade the mine owners to * meet the men to discuss a national settlement. An official of the Mining Association said last night: “When we receive the communication we shall simply reply that the matter must be referred to the district associations. This decision is rigid, and the Government departments are fully aware of the fact.” A CONFERENCE TO-DAY. LONDON, September 4. The Mining Association, in a letter to the Mines Department, pointed out that the association was not authorised to enter into discussions on behalf of the district associations, therefore it was unable to attend the tripartite conference. The department has replied that the discussion of the position thereby raised was essential, and the association agreed to confer with the Cabinet’s Coal Committee on Monday. The attitude of the coalowners to the miners’ strike was defined by Sir Adam Nimmo, vice-president of the Mining Association, in a speech in London a few weeks ago. “However long this strike niay go on,” he said, “supposing it is conceivable that it will last for another six months—l can say quite frankly from an individual point of view, and also from the point of view of the industry as a whole, that the demands of the workers in the mines cannot be met.” There were many people who said that if there was more goodwill in the industry aud if there was a spirit oi understanding the crisis could be brought to an end. It was not a question of goodwill at all. If goodwill could have averted the crisis there would have been no difficulty in finding salvation. After all, they were back on a fundamental economic problem which was viewed by th'» two sides from entirely different angles. The Miners' Federation had stood for years for nationalisation of the mines, and they still talked in terms of nationalisation, and the whole of their policy was influenced by that larger policy which had lain in the background for yeats. On the other hand, the coalowners had built up the collieries on the basis of private enterprise, and there must inevitably be an insistence on their part that if the oollieries were to remain in the hands of private enterprise there must be freedom

of movement. If the country was of the opinion that the mines ought to be nationalised, it would' not find the coalowners standing in the way. Seeing that the country had almost unanimously decided that it would not adopt a policy of nation, alisation, he and his colleagues were entitled to claim public support in seeing that the policy of private enterprise was not interfered with either by Governments or by the Miners’ Federation.