The Timaru Herald FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 1907. THE NEWCASTLE AGREEMENT.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIC, Issue 13449, 22 November 1907, Page 4

The Timaru Herald FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 1907. THE NEWCASTLE AGREEMENT.

The Premier of New South Walca- is deserving of all the credit he has received for hin successful intervention in the deadlock between tho proprietor,s and th«e> miners at Newcastle. l?or ,a time it seemed' as if there was little hope that Mr Wade would be able to : bring the parties together, for the men showed no disposition to listen to any talk of ; ,arbitration. But encouraged no doubt, "by the .• s.uc-cfes .of Mr Lloyd-George's mediation in the railway dispute in ' England'raii' industrial disturbance of even greater magnitude, and of • a more complicated, character than the disagreement on thft coalfields around Newcastle—Mr Wad© persevered in his efforts to have the mattera at issue submitted to the decision of a special tribunal. As far as the ; • siWlia have been made acquainted with .the Premier'fl proposals, their broad outlines a: a these: —, (1) That Jjqth ' sides ■ agree to tmbmit all matters in dispute to an independent tribunal, and to be bound by its decision. (2) '( That in the, meantime the.men .Withdraw'. their notification to the proprietors .of their intention to cease. Wdrk.. ' (3) That the'mines that have been rfr' ce'ntiy clor-'d; should b? reopened and worked, until the' dhput? is ?«ttled oh ihfc conditions prevailing before the> pw&tufr difficulty arose.' , (4 ) That the Court should be constituted' by the Government, and consist of a and two experts, one to ba appointed by each side. ■' • It appears from the statement made . by Mr: Wade in the State Parliament*" that the conclusion of an armistice has beejti delayed by an . ambiguity—real or imaginary—in .the., terms lie submitted'to th© representatives of tha contending part.*is," but it wr.c only to bo expected that f uch side would carefully examine "the wording of , .ah agreement which would., ",ie >■ their hahds very lightly. once it had been signM, and. there is all the more reason to hope for - a permanent and satisfactory settlement when emiiloyers audi employed'a,jilru have thorough confidence in the resins byr j which the settlement is to ; I>9 • brought) ■ about. .. Jf. the workers of ' New 1 Spu'.h Wales, especially those .. on, the. northern coalfields, had i been loyal to the -Artyfcr#ti«n Court established in the' years ago, theie would be no 'naed' now lo set. about the creation of a special tribunal for the investigation of 'the present trouble, and proprietors werje.;in a sense fully justified in meeting the first advances, of;, the. Premier -with ,;thi ,retort that they saw,no reasoh 1 to; go; past itlw Arbitration Court, provided the! minfers put up a substantial guarantee,--that they wouldv'reispect the decision of the Co<ftrb when it was announced. H-owUver, tliey were wi=e to give way when they found that 'the men were willing, to. go to -rffcbi- ■' tration of . another sort, i and it is itrt that events, wiiljustify; Mr: Wade/.* optimistic., anticipation iii regard to thP reception; wlneli wili be accorded,,»toL>tlie personnel of the ..Court •• lie . lMs in, ; viewi The Premier has, in securing a working agreement for the termination of, hostilities, done a service the benefit of which >vill extendi far beyond the bounds of his own State. The other, day we published a table showing for one month the extent to which othetv countries > depended , \upon Newcastle . f<M'- their ■ fuel (supplies, arid' the telegrams of the last few dayn have itfforded ample evidence, of the; extent A.'to >• which the restriction, of theV,output from Newcastle has affected trade in the i;esfc of < Australia. . ' No doubt if Ijtr efforts as a peacemaker had been, fruitleW, we should shortly have felti effect'- jn ■. New Zealand in the shape of dearer; coal,higher transport chargco and sb on. What a fight to a . finish would have meant to Newcastle itself may be gathered! from an item in yesterday's cable t news to the effect that a fortnight's strike would cost the coal centre £265,000, including £25,0C0 in wages. Mr Wade.;, was playing for big stakes when he eet ' out to effect a compromise the proprietors and the minero,-' and it is to the credit of the wisdom of all concerned that; he was able yesterday to announce that the trouble had : come to an end.