MINERS REJECT PEACE

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXIII, 9 October 1926, Page 9

MINERS REJECT PEACE

No Settlement in British Coal Strike GOVERNMENT’S PROPOSALS TURNED DOWN. 4 MINERS’ FEDERATION ORDERS WITHDRAWAL OF SAFETY MEN. The Miners' Conference by 737,000 votes to 42,000 rejected the Government’s proposals. The Conference) by an overwhelming majority decided to withdraw the safety men. About the middle of last month the Government suggested that in view of the Mining Association’s emphatic rejection of a national agreement, district settlements might be combined with national supervision. If the miners, at length, were ready to face economic facts and resume work on provisional district settlements the Government was prepared to introduce legislation ensuring that those principles should be properly applied by a national appeal tribunal. A memorandum attached to the suggestion explained that a national arbitration tribunal would be established when work, was generally resumed through provisional settlements. Any settlement providing fengorhours might be reviewed by the tribunal if it consisted of a matter which formerly would have been dealt with by a national settlement. The miners have finally rejected these proposals, and a stern struggle threatens to carry the dispute into the . winter months with ail Its attendant hardships;

WITHDRAWAL OF SAFETY MEN. BOOMERANG EFFECT OF DECISION. By C»bl« —Frnas ABsooUtlon —Copyright, - Australian and N.Z. Cable Associativa (Received October 8, 8.55 p.m.) LONDON, October 8. ’ The decision to call out the safely men applies only to those included in the miners’ organisations, the.number of which varies from 40 to 50 per cenv. of the total. These' are principally in South Wales, Durham, Lancashire, and Yorkshire. The rest are in five organisations covering various areas. Those have already decided to remain at work.

WHAT INSPIRED MINERS,

HOPES TO FORCE COMPROMISE. By Cable—Press Association—Copyright. Bydnoy “ Sun ” Service, (Received October 8, 7.10 p.m.) LONDON, October 7. It is impossible to say what Inspired the miners’ decision. One suggestion is that the vote was Intended as a reply to Mr Baldwin’s ultimatum of yesterday. Another theory Is that the miners believe the prospect of frozen hearths in a vast majority of homes in the depth of winter, will induce the mass of the public to insist that the Government call a halt In the struggle to prevent the prolongation of the sufferings, at a time when the population must have fires, but the fact that the miners’ conference after twentj r -one weeks, finally decided on the drastic step of calling out the safety men, Is interpreted, in some quarters, as the gamblers' last throw. BIG BLOW AT COMMUNISM. MILLIONS WELL SPENT. By Cable—Press Association—Copyright. A.ustralian and N.Z. Cable Association. (Received October 8, 7.40 p.m.) LONDON, October 7. The Conservative Party Conference at Scarborough unanimously adopted a resolution demanding legislation to make strikes without preliminary secret ballots, also mass picketing, .illegal. Dame Bridgeman, who presided, declared that if as a result of the coal dispute, they dealt Communism a blow in the neck, the millions lost would have been well spent. PREPARING FOR GRIM STRIKE. MOST DRASTIC STRIKE HAPPENING. By Cable —Press Association—Copyright. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. (Received October 8, 7.40 p.m.) LONDON, October 7. The miners’ conference acceptance of the South Wales resolution, for the withdrawal of all safety men by a majority of 47 0,000, is the most important drastic strike happening in recent weeks. Coming on top of the overwhelming rejection of the Government’s peace proposals, it reveals that a grim fight is entering yet another and uglier stage. In addition, the conference urged the trade union embargo on foreign coal, and that a Special Trades Union Congress .be convened to deal with the question of a levy; that Labour Parliamentarians lie marshaled for a nation-wide campaign; also that the central control of all operations be vested in the Miners’ Federation, who will act to the supersession of all local bodies where necessary. Tho conference resumes to-mor-row to consider ways and means of carrying out the resolutions.

It is understood Mr Herbert Smith (president of the Miners’ Federation), and Mr Tom Richards strongly opposed tho withdrawal of the safety men, but later in tho. day they became undecided and finally bowed to tho decision of the Conference.

Even the papers that support- the miners condemn tho withdrawal, pointing out- that it can only injure tho men.

The “Daily Telegraph” recalls that when tho snfety men wore taken out of the mines in a restricted area in 1919, the consequences were disastrous, and the eventual return of tho Yorkshire miners was delayed for weeks-after the, safety men resumed work, and a number of pits had to remain closed down permanently.

MIXERS’ CHALLENGE TO CABINET:

GOVERNMENT WILL PREVENT FLOODING OF MINES.

By Coble—Presf Aasoeiatiou—Copyright, 4uitrAlian mid N.Z. Cable Association. (Received October 8, '7.40 p.m.)

LONDON, October 7. Should the miners’ decision be carried out, the . Government will take steps to ensure the nonflooding of tlie pits.

It is believed in Government circles that the decision will prolong tlie strike at least two months, though this may be falsified by the return of men.

THE PRIME MINISTER’S STATEMENT. “ STRIKE STILL WITH US.” S.v Cable —Pres» Association —Copyright, Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. (Received October 8, 7.30 p.m.) LONDON, October 7. At tlie Conservative Party’s Conference at Scarborough, the Prime Minister did not refer to the coal strike, beyond saying: “It is still with us, marking one of the setbacks to the hopes of social progress entertained before the strike was declared.” He added that the Government would consider tho conference’s resolution in favour of altering the trade union laws and subsequently introduce legislation.