THE SCOTTISH MINERS' STRIKE.

Timaru Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 6067, 28 September 1894, Page 4

THE SCOTTISH MINERS' STRIKE.

A member of the Daily Chronicle staff deioribes an interview on August 13th with Mr Smillie, one of the mine members of the exeoutive oommittee of the Miners' Federation of Scotland, on the subjtot of the collier's strike. ' The Scottish miners are as strong and as resolute as they were when they oime out sight, weeks ago,' said Mr Smillie. *We have never seen anything like it m Sootland before. v9e have had sectional strikes and disputoi, but we have never had suoh unanimity of purpose as during the present el.rike." ' And what is the attitude of the coal* owners ?' 'The associated ooalowners have left their affairs m the hands of tbe seoretariss of their local associations, and up to the present they have absolutely refused to meet us or negotiate with us m any way. they ignore us, and tell us that we must go back to work under the old conditions unconditionally before they will consent to even disouss wages with us. That, of coarse, will never happen whilst the men are m thair present temper. As to the non-assooiated ooalownere, they have met us and offered to make the present wage tbe minimum for 12 j months, and to agree to the establishment of a Conciliation Board on the English plan, We had a meeting to consider their offer, on Friday, and we decided to recommend to a general conference of the Sootoh miners that | we should accept an advanoo of 6d per day, instead of the Is per day we are asking for, provided that was made a minimum wage for eighteen months. The conference, consisting of from 60 to 70 delegates from all partis of Sootland agreed to thia. and the non-asßOciated coal owners are considering it.' 1 Bnt what does public opinion m Sootland say ?' 'It has oome round to our side. We are reoeiving help for our relief funds from all quarters. The Hamilton Town Counoil has taken up the matter, and there are oommitteea m many other districts, Still we want help m our fight, for tbe distress is very great. You can't have 100,000 on strike for ten weeks without this happening.' ' And what about the contention of the ooalownere thai; they oannoi puy more money ?' In reply to my question; Mr Smillie handed me a set of figures which are idBtructive. They dealt with the limited liability coal companies, but it is fair to presume that a fe w private firms would be much on the same lines. Ihe Fife Coal Company has just declared a dividend of 80 per cent for the past year. Tbe dividend for the previous yew was 32} per cent, and for tbe year before that 37} per cent. The Cowdenbeath Coal Company declared a dividend for the last half-year of 10 per cent, as against 15 per cent for the preceding period. The £10 shares of this oompany avo now quoted at £14 ss. The Arnistoa Coal company's last half-yearly dividend was 15| par cent This company paid 12} per cent per annum from 1883 to 1889, and 25 per cent m 1890, 31i per cent m 1891, £10 shares being quoted at £25 ss. The Cairnstable Gas Coal Oompany paid 7} per oent m 1888 and 1889, 10 per oent iv 1890, and 20 per cent m 1891, 10 per cent m 1892, and 10 per cent m 1893. John WatßOn and Co, Limited, paid ; 2 per cent last year, and the £10 shares ate quoted at £12 10s. The Clyde Goal Company's shares are mostly 7 per cent preference, but the ordinary shares of £3 received a dividend of 50s ia 1891, 20 m 1892, 20s tn tSS'3, and hat March an interim dividend of 7a 6d was declared. This is the answer tbat the Bootch miners give to the statement that the trade it so bad that lower wages must be paid, and it does a good deal to explaiu the determined struggle against the 25 per oent ifeduotion whioh was enforced m the rpring.