THE COAL DISPUTE

Otago Witness, Issue 3961, 11 February 1930, Page 30

THE COAL DISPUTE

POSITION SLIGHTLY EASIER. ENGINE DRIVERS RESUMING. SYDNEY, February 4. The coal position is slightly easier. Mr J. T. Atkins, general secretary of the Federated Engine Drivers’ Association, to-day instructed his members to resume work at all northern collieries. He expects that work will be recommenced immediately at what are known as unassociated pits, which were working before Christmas, and that attempts will be made to restart the associated pits, which have been the subject of the prolonged dispute. Mr Atkins says that his men will have to run the risk of being picketed, but he received the assurance of the police that they will afford them every protection. THE BRANXTON MINERS. CUT OFF DOLE LIST. SYDNEY, February 5. The Branxton members of the Miners’ Federation have been cut off the dole owing to their refusal to lift the “ black ” ban. It is now stated that the Government is considering the withdrawal of all the doles that are being paid to out-of-work miners on the northern f Id The Cabinet contends that, in view of the financial stringency, it cannot : ml to keep men for whom work is available. Before the actual withdrawal is ordered an effort will be made to persuade the men to accept the work offering. The present figures are: 1050 miners are receiving the dole, the weekly cost of which is £l3OO. There are also 3000 families on the coalfields drawing endow ment at an average rate of £3B a year per family.

GOVERNMENT OFFER RENEWED. SYDNEY, February 5. a ‘ The conversations on ..he coal crisis between the Prime Minister and the rj Premier were suspended during the week- j ( end, but high hopes are entertained in e Federal political circles that peace in the r coal industry is imminent. y The Commonwealth Government has f renewed its offer of ninepence per ton in y wages, either to the owners or he miners , pending further examination of the rates , which the industry can afford to pay. t Certain objections have been made to this offer by Mr Bavin, as well as by the ( owners. Mr Bavin objects co the tax- , payers being saddled with a coal subsidy ? twice over, since he is also expected to , reduce the freight and handling charges, y which amounts to a loss of revenue. ; While the owners are opposed to a < patched peace, the Prim.- Minister insists j that it would be better that these terms ( be accepted than allow the industry to , be ruined. 1 THE UNASSOCIATED PITS. ; WORK TO BE RESUMED. SYDNEY, February 6. An important development in the coal situation is the announcement by the Miners’ Council, which is sitting at Sydney, that all the unassociated pits in the northern fields will be worked immediately. Two of the pits have already resumed, and others will be ready within a few days. The former employees of the Astonfields Colliery have returned to work under police guard. It will be recalled that some of these men were molested by strikers, being stripped and assaulted. They were former members of the 'Miners’ Federation, but they are now ostracised. MINERS REFUSED RELIEF. CONCERNED IN “BLACK" BAN. SYDNEY. February 7. Three hundred and fifty miners at Kurri Kurri were refused relief on the ground that they participated in the “ black ” ban. PROBABLE DURATION OF STRIKE. SYDNEY. February 7. It is reported that a feeling prevails at Newcastle that the decision to reopen the unassociated pits indicates that the Miners’ Union officials intend to continue the coal dispute until the State elections are held, in the hope of a Labour Government being returned. UNLAWFUL ASSEMBLY. SYDNEY, February 8. Eleven miners, convicted of participating in an unlawful assembly at Aberdare on January 15, were fined 10s each. Four were fined £5, and 70 others £3. “RED” PROMISES UNFULFILLED. SYDNEY, February 9. It is reported that Communist emissaries are making final desperate efforts to secure supremacy of the coalfields and control of a big aggregate meeting which is being held on Tuesday. The E.oderates, however, are said to be concerting opposition to the “ Reds,” whose promise of financial aid to the miners if they showed fight has not been fulfilled. Fines amounting to between £5OO and £6OO have been imposed on the miners as a result of the recent disturbances, but not a penny of “ Red ” money has thus far been forthcoming. The Miners’ Federation will not pay because it did not countenance mass demonstrations The only hope of the convicted men, who

number about 100, of escaping gaol is that the Communists will honour their promise to pay, but the feeling prevails that they will repudiate it. If the ex tremists fail to rule the aggregate meeting their influence is expected to v me rapidly. There is a growing body of moderate opinion among the miners in favour of a settlement.

A statement has been published that the miners intended officially to advise the Federal Government to-day of the bedrock terms of the compromise, but the federation secretary (Mr Davies) denies knowledge thereof. Mr A. Woods, a delegate from the New Zealand Mineworkers’ Association, says that the Dominion miners will pay a levy of 3J per cent, of their earnings towards the relief of the idle New South Wales miners. BEER “ WHITE ” AGAIN. MINERS SUCCUMB TO HEAT. SYDNEY, February 9. The hot weather yesterd ry made beer “white” in the Cessnock hotels. The idle miners, who have been declaring bars all “ black ” for a month past, apparently liecame colour blind, am bar tenders had an exceedingly busy time when the ban was unofficially raised and men who had been unwilling prohibitionists set to work to drink up the arrears. Meantime the Cessnock municipal authorities had just completed installations in the main street. These, strangely enough, stand opposite the hotels, but they supply only water, .and now they are not wanted.

A CRUEL BAN. J’ a WOMEN AND CHILDREN SUFFER. (From Our Own Correspondent.) SYDNEY, January 30. tl Every day within the stricken coal- c fields area of New South Wales there y are enacted countless dramas within the v great drama that is crippling the State r The miners have carried to extraordinary ( lengths their policy of declaring black ( everything that displeases, and they have f not cared who suffers by their ruthless f policy. All along the miners have had a ] fair share of public sympathy in their ( fight against the owners and against a ( reduction of wages, but their black policy i may mean the loss of a great deal of < this. < The enforcement of the boycott is one of the most serious consequences of this 1 greatest of all industrial struggles in New South 'Wales, for it has affected < the relationship of people who, for-years. 1 had lived amiably together, in compara- 1 tively small communities. Numerous small shopkeepers who have served policemen or their families have been declared black, and they complain bit terly that they have extended credit to the miners to the limit of their resources. They explain how they have stood by the miners in their struggle, and now the miners, most of them owing considerable sums for groceries, have turned them down. Not only do the miners refuse to deal from them, but they prevent other people from doing so as well. Their children and their wives are openly insulted in the streets. Policemen who for years have taken their place in the community are nowpassed by in the street by former friends among the miners. Their wives and children are similarly treated. The children of police constables come under the ban, and miners’ children have been forbidden to speak to them. For instance, miners’ children at Greta will no longer speak to Constable Kenny’s four children — presumably because their father, who iias lived in Greta for five years, is now stationed near the Rothbury mine, which is being worked by the State with free labour, and he gave evidence when the miners were prosecuted at Cessnock Women in the towns where the militants hold sway have been declared black because they talked to policemen’s wives The idea has been to isolate the police force, and to make the families suffer for official acts. All newspapers —metropolitan and district—with two exceptions, have been declared black, and people have been declared black for reading black newspapers. Bus drivers at Maitland have been told that they will be declared black if they carry black papers, and ■ the threat has been effective. The milit-' ants will not buy a black paper—except to see the race results, for the illegal bookmakers in the coalfields area are still lily white. Because the Government placed policemen in all the hotels, all the hotels are black. At Cessnock the sanitary contractor refused to give service to the hotels, but when the Government assured the council that it had power to provide the service and charge the cost to the council the ban was lifted. Still, brawny pickets, drawn from the ranks of the militants, have been posted - outside the doors of all the hotels to pres vent anyone from entering. Those who i do enter are quickly thrown out, and to 1 be thrown out in the coalfields area - means throw-n out. The idea is that t because militants will not drink in the e hotels —not openly at any rate —no one y else must drink there. One traveller who s entered a hotel at Kurri this week was 0 told that the beer was black. He rea plied that he did not care if it w-as t “ pink,” he was going to have a drink, s and two drinks if he felt like it. He f had a drink, but he was subjected to d insults for the rest of the day, and lie , was glad to leave as soon as he could o complete his business.

If a man drinks black beer, or reads a black newspaper, he becomes black, and everyone seen talking to him is automatically declared black. Shop' keepers say that a reign of terror has been instituted at all towns where the police are quartered. The tradespeople have to give an assurance that they will not serve constables or their wives. The black fever has extended to other mining towns. At Lithgow the other day a local policeman was ordered to the troubled area. He was seen off at the railway station by three men. One was a butcher’s assistant, and the master butcher was told that unless he dismissed the man his shop would be declared black. The assistant left the dis trict. The second man was a newsagent, and his shop was declared black. The third man was the postmaster. Here was a pretty problem for the miners. Could they declare the Post Office black? So far they have not gone to that length.