THE MINERS’ STRIKE.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LX, Issue 143762, 9 April 1912, Page 3

THE MINERS’ STRIKE.

DIVIDED COUNSELS,

SOME MEN RETURN TO WORK.

By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.

LONDON, April <5. Sixty-two thousand miners have resumed work.

In many districts meetings censured ythe executive’s recommendation. The miners in Yorkshire, Fifcshire and the Lothians have instructed their delegates at to-day’s conference to oppose the resumption of work. Some men being suspected of ccolgetting at Newton colliery, a crowd of te«r thousand people smashed a thousa!. d panes of glass in the pithead buildings and damaged the machinery. Ivir. Hartshorn appeals to o I miners to resume work and place the federation foremost, inasmuch as the existence of the federation is at stake. There is a concenaiis of opinion that unless the conference orders a resumption of work the federation will break up, because those eager to resume decline to starve indefinitely.

The Scottish miners are divided. Thousands are eager to resume work, and unless the conference rejects the executive’s recommendation they will resume on Monday.

There is a prevalent feeling in Fifoshire, ivhere forty thousand men are employed, that only absolute starvation will induce them to resume work.

A meeting at Rotherham advised tho men to imitate the boilermakers and overthrow their leaders, on the ground that the principle of tho minimum is worthless until the boards fix schedules. A continuance of the strike meanwhile will involve a month of hardship and semi-starvation.

Air. Hartshorn states that a continuance of the strike will involve a risk of splitting the federation into impotent sections. The ballot emphasised the fact that unless the district boards fixed satisfactory minima the trouble would recur. Experience had nowproved that a national stoppage must bo conducted by executives possessing full power and responsibility individually and collectively, and able to act in any emergency.

Air. Haslam, at Chesterfield, said that the men .must gracefully surrender. Nothing would be gained by remaining out.

The surfacemen at Dinningion, A'orkshire, resolved not to resume until an equitable settlement was arrived at. LONDON, April 7.

A section of the coalminers' conference sharply criticised the executive, but the general impression is that the situation must be accepted. Those voting against resumption included the North -of England miners, except those in Northumberland.

A party of strikers were searching for coal in a disused mine at Nantymeel when a huge fall occurred. Two of the party were killed. One boy was killed elsewhere. Several similar accidents have been reported recently.

The coal-owners have declined to further discuss the demands of the Alouraouthshire and South Wales enginemen and stokers.

Mr. ICcir Hardie is distributing £IOO to necessitous miners, contributed by the Westraliau timber workers. Tho union strikers at Newbridge, Monmouthshire, invaded the pitheads and r forced strike-breakers to cease work, despite the efforts of the police. Other disturbances occurred at Rotherham, Midlothian and West Fife, but they were not serious. Many trades , unionists made allegations that the railway companies, in consequence of tho coal strike, are discharging prominent union leaders, particularly on .the Metropolitan and Central London railways. LONDON, April 8. Serious rioting has occurred at Pendlebnry in consequence of the attempt to cart coal. Excited strikers overturned the lorries and appropriated the coal. Thousands then invaded the pithead and stoned 150 police from behind a wall. Tho police made numerous baton charges, the strikers receiving many broken beads. A number were taken home on stretchers. Nino arrests were made. A miners’ meeting in Yorkshire commended the leaders for ordering the resumption of work until a minimum wage is fixed. Two hundred thousand miners will take part in a procession at Belfast ou Tuesday, including representatives of 280 Unionist clubs, with a hundred and fifty thousand members. Mr. Keir Hardio, speaking at Doncaster, said that a refusal to return to work was suicidal. The miners were going to compel society to take over the mines. Their next demand would be a fixed yearly salary. DETAILS OF THE BALLOT. A LOSS OF FIFTY MILLIONS. (Received April 9, 9 a.m.) LONDON, April 8. An analysis of Saturday’s voting shows that Durham, Northumberland, Derby, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, ■and Cumberland reversed their ballot decision and joined South jWalcs and the Midlands in favour ot resumption, and that probably Scotland did likewise. The minority in favour of continuing the strike thus consisted of Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Cheshire. Those delegates not bound by instructions interpreted the men’s desire to bo to resume, which is not attributable to the exhaustion of funds, inasmuch as Durham and Derbyshire have ample resources. Tyneside coal merchants predict a permanent rise of Is 6d to 2s per ton for household coal, to cover the increased cost of production owing to tho minimum wage. The collieries intimate that regular supplies will be available in three dajys. It is calculated that tho miners lost six millions in ■ wages.'.and-two-millions

'in trade funds and personal savings, ‘Other workers lost eight millions. The. estimated loss of coal production was ten million, the loss in production by i-other industries ten millions, and the ‘total loss to the community fifty mil- - lions. George Barker, a. member of the ■-executive of the Miners’ Federation, 'hints at the possibility of a strike by all classes of workers if the district beards fix the minimum below tho schedule. ANOTHER STRIKE THREATENED.' (Received April 9, 10.50 a.m.) LONDON, April §. Minors at Cannock Chase and the whole of Scotland, except FTfeshire,. have resumed work. Mr. V. Hartshorn, speaking at Alaeste.g, said that transport workers would strike in the early summer. THE SYDNEY CONTRIBUTION. (Received April 9, 9.10 a.m.) SYDNEY, April 9. The Lord Mayor has sent a second thousand to assist the starving in England.