AS FAR OFF AS EVER.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11392, 11 March 1930, Page 5

AS FAR OFF AS EVER.

PEACE ON COALFIELDS BREAKDOWN OF CONFERENCE. United Press Assn —By Electric Telegraph—-Copyrigh t. SYDNEY, March 10. The breakdown of the coal conference an hour after it recommenced to-day leaves peace on the coalfields as far off as ever. The miners’ representatives announced that they were not prepared to accept any terms other than pre-stoppage conditions. The colliery proprietors expressed their willingness to re-open the mines on the basis of the compromise agreement of November 23, which the miners’ representatives again rejected, on the ground that their organisation had given them no mandate to accept. A deadlock was thus reached and the parties dispersed. The conference had been opened by the Premier, who expressed the hope that a settlement would be effected pointing out that it would make the Government’s task easier from the standpoint of reducing unemployment. The State Cabinet to-morrow will consider whether unemployment relief should be withdrawn from the coalfields, in view of the failure of to-day’s conference. A meeting of miners’ lodge secretaries is being held to-morrow at Newcastle, in order to formulate a policy for the future.