The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 1920. BRITISH MINERS' TRUCE.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 September 1920, Page 4

The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 1920. BRITISH MINERS' TRUCE.

"The coal truce was greeted with joy bells and singing by the miners in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, while there were manifestations of relief and hope in other coalfields." Such was the message cabled from London on Sunday, and it is quite conceivable that an intense feeling of relief from the intense strain of the crisis should have manifested itself in exuberant manifestations. It is sincerely to be hoped these rejoicings were not prematiire, and that a satisfactory settlement will now be reached. Mr. Lloyd George has never lost confidence in the possibility of averting a general strike, but the miners' leaders have proved a very hard apt to crack. It is quite possible that had the men been unanimous in declaring for combined action, a disastrous state of affairs would have ensued. In Mr. Sinillie the miners have a leader well endowed with courage, and equally well equipped with a store of bluff that has become much deteriorated by constant use. His trump card was a general strike, and he somewhat dramatically put the onus of sueh a strike on the Government by announcing that in view of the Government's inability to grant an immediate increase, the miners "could not suspend the notices or prevent a strike." Mr. Lloyd George proved quite equal to the situation by pointing out "that only twentyfour hours before the plunge over the precipice, he asked that notices be suspended for a week to meet the owners," adding, he was assured it would not take two days to discover a basis upon which wages could be dependent on output, and within a month the miners would secure an appreciable increase in wages. The miners' executive wisely listened to and adopted the suggestion, with the result that the coalowners and miners' delegates conferred amicably for two and a half hours, and the, prospects of an agreement being arrived at seem hopeful. Experience in the there has been a large fund to draw upon—has proved that sooner or later all industrial disputes can only be effectively settled by xneans of an "amicable" conference. The misfortune is that in many cases where the interests involved are exceptionally large, it seems customary : to work up a theatrical marshalling of forces as if a battle royal must ensue before an armistiee is proclaimed and terms of peace arranged. It is invariably a battle of wits, whereiii much valuable time and money is wasted, and it leads to nowhere —all for the lack of common sense, the exercise of a grain of which would save bushels of trouble, for in the end the parties must come to an agreement. So long as the unions are led and controlled by militant firebrands whose vocation would disappear if strikes were abolished, so long will these crises be experienced. What is needed is effectual machinery for preventing industrial upheavals, rather than specifics for curing the strike evil. The idea of the I rague of Nations was that it would prevent international warfare over disputes that could be settled peacefully. The latest plan advocated for ensuring the health of the people is by mean* of preventive medicine. 'J» joints Jhe

moral conveyed in the precept: "Prevention is better than cure." It would seem there is an urgent need for educative propaganda in this direction, and a universal effort towards establishing the principle of settlement by amicable confers - Our courts of law justice as between opposing claimants; our arbitration and conciliation courts act in the same way in industrial disputes, though not with, the same finality. Surely it is possible to devise some effective means to prevent cessation of industrial activities, but it is unlikely this will be done until paid agitators are eliminated, and the most sensible, upright, just and broad-minded men are chosen as union leaders, instead of those whose vanity and self assertiveriess impel them, to set- constitutional authority at defiance and paralyse national undertakings.