GRIM OUTLOOK

Southland Times, Issue 20016, 2 November 1926, Page 7

GRIM OUTLOOK

THE COAL STOPPAGE?] APPROACH OF WINTER SHREB-FOUBTHS OF MEN STILL OUT (By Telegraph—Pn>* Asbxl—Copyright.) London, October 31. It is exactly six months since the coal dispute began and though there have been many breakaways there are still three-<;uarters of the total employees on the coalfields idle. Beginning to-day over 100 additional trains will cease running in order to conserve supplies. Household coal is fairly plentiful and the Government is able to increase the fortnightly ration from one to two cwt., but the minimum is being bought owing to high prices. Mr Baldwin, in a letter, says he never desßted from efforts to bring the parties together. The difficulty throughout has been the impoesdulity of finding any solution which bo«.h sides would agree to accept even as a basis of diecusdon.—A_ and N.Z. MR COOK TRUCULENT. MINERS WILL FIGHT GUERILLA WARFARE. WORLD SHORTAGE OF COAL. (Rec. 735 pan.) London, November 1. Mr Cook, speaking at Liverpool warned the nation “If you drive the miners back to longer hours they won’t work them. They will go down into the pits but will destroy more than they construct. They will fight a guerilla warfare and continue to battle more than ever. If the miners are forced back to work at the bayonet point of starvation it won’t do the owners any good. The miners are not yet beaten. There is a world shortage of coal and economic conditions are in the miners’ favour.” Mr Cook made an appeal to the miners not to be routed so that they would degenerate into a rabble to be massacred by the Government and the owners. “If the trade unions refuse to back the miners,” he said, “the latter may be compelled to reconsider their position."—A. and N.Z.