IDLENESS PALLS.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13673, 11 April 1908, Page 5

IDLENESS PALLS.

STBANGErPRQCEEDINGS:

LABOUR DEPARTMENTS SEGRKT

INTERVENT£6N:

The Greymbutn correspondent J bi\ the Wellington Post telegraphed onThursEvidence a'ttffitibfflr^pßSSßMP at the continuance of the strike is obtainable on all sides, , but latest is most, remarkable. One of the discontented men states -as. March 25, Mr Edward Tregear (Secretary of Labour) forwarded flt£ f6116%ing telegram to the union: — ""Fhave b^en engaged ofr several occasions with Mr Hickey and -Mi; Me-; Cullough in endeavouring to find some solution of the present difficulty. I have come to the conclusion that there.-, is no way out of it except by the Minister's , influence being used- with Mr. Stead and: the directors. The Ministers, however, will not niove after lihe manner in which their-} former approach was met. without having a quar r antee~of the union,- through its exeeu* tive, that any .arrangement made bythem would be adhered to. The pro*, posals formulated in my mind are 'as 1 * follows : — 'The^ directors ty> grant^With,in a fortnight thirty minutes 7 , cr^^Tj time, restoration \op the^td^ecfearged 1 men to their former and the payment of half the fine. Thejjaenon their part 'thwS, J « 'tnests concessions are granted, they will return to work at once. If the men will ask thb Minister tb iirterveiie ■fcitK^r Stead, the matter need not bevd&de public, in any- way.- ~ln^ fact,- it-.wpnld be an entirely private arrangement, and one that would be expected to, be confidential gg'far as' thVpress w; »n- 1 cernecT. In, jefcawi to.' 'payment of paff s the fine, the Government would -give very easy terms, namely three months, a portion being paid each month; but the final' payment to be- niade^ Jwithittj the three months. Pers\»ially7 v r,HE»xgfr to accept because I not only feel that you will gain nearly all the benefits for which the strike was instituted, out also because I havet private information that many of the directors are urging that the mine should be shut down altogether until the railway comes near. — Edward Tregear, . Secre* tary for Labour." » -^. ; KEPT SECREt 1 . The executive kept the telegram secret, and replied, r<»iu^CngTi6(Jrfi«terr' tain the proposal. Two k days later the Government announced its intention, to miners heard^Tftmowrß "-or^xne telegram, and at a meeting asked that it be read. , This • wa*~refcu»d, -so- M* *9P*e|&&? f&* telegraphed to for a, copy, and replied. ?as follows: 1 — -\. X a Ot bourse, I cannot say that* the terms mentioned could now be ob-. taiwed. The <&ft£grttm^l Sent was accompanied by one from Mr Hickev and one from Mr llogg. for the Socialist partfrj recommending thafi the terms 1 , suggested should be accepted. The telegram- I sent on March 25 was as^foUpws" : — . ■: (Here follows -an exact copy of telegram already given above.) ANTI-STRIKERS HOWLED DOWN,

On Saturday last a special meeting, of the union was requisitioned for, and was held on $»esday, where, after a lot of discussion, the- telegram was read. A motion, was then proposedagreeing to the terms, but was* ruled out of order, while a motion "That we go baeklto work -on twenty minutes' crib-time, if the manager will favourably consider half an hour's crib-time>" was howled down by those in favour of continuance of the strike. It is understood the proposal was not insisted on^

and the meeting adjourned without any decision being arrrV-ed at.^ . \i Ji! iatielt that if. the proposals dsn,tained in Mr Tregear's first telegram ■ are again offered the union "ln : a^piri)lio anandßr, they would be apcegjeffj der j*Be| the attitude of the -ex»dutr*e. tfni discontent; at the,enforood '«|l>n«l* is gipwing, and will probably pijfc an end fo the strflce within the next week. ; A SUSPENSION. f \ The;. union. executive has suspejaded on&|&ori from the union, but tfig*riil»sQn is not disclosed. One of the »lackiho, strikers writes; — "When, at the beginning of the trouble, Mr Mori, one pf the ablest men in the .union, suggested that the men should recogfine the .law, and act with' it at their back, because by doing otherwise they wdujd* -be fighting a brick wall, he was rul«st ptit of orqer, and called upon to sit down. Mr Mori continued throughout the whole of the trouble to advocate these principles, and for so doing ne has been .suspended' from the union Altogether by our learned execuravei" * ' ; WELLINGTON, AprUjft^' - T?he Post is authorised to state v that the was 1 not privy td tho letter jsent by Mr Tregear tp tse BlaQkball Miners' Union. i t .% A.V?