The Star. FRIDAY. APRIL 6, 1918. COAL SUPPLIES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12284, 5 April 1918, Page 4

The Star. FRIDAY. APRIL 6, 1918. COAL SUPPLIES.

The information which we published yesterday regarding th e position of the local coal market would come as a surprise to many people. Sales at the State depot have been suspended, there being no coal on hand, and stocks at private yards are very low. There is a possibility of an acute shortage, and, that is accompanied by a hint that prices will be raised to consumers. This is a disquieting condition of affairs, especially at the beginning of winter, when the householder naturally begins to think about well-stocked bins. The position suggests an inquiry into the cause, and the cause is not hard to find. For some weeks past some of the West Coast minors have been on strike, and therefore the coal market has been deprived of some thousands of tons of coal weekly. The cause of the strike is not very clear, as far as the miners’ grievances are concerned. ' Trouble started over the refusal of some of the miners to pay certain levies imposed in connection with the Australian strike- Their refusal to pay was resented by the unions, or some of them, and strikes followed as a means of compelling tho recalcitrant men to pay up. There may be other grievances as between the miners and the owners, but as far as we can ascertain these have not been made public. The use of the strike weapon as a disciplinary measure among union members, in order to enforce the payment of levies, is something unusual in the Dominion. If the levies were legally enforceable, they could bo sued for in a Court of law. If they have not been lawfully imposed, the objecting miners are within their rights in refusing to contribute. The Prime Minister has sent an ultimatum to the miners requiring them to return to work not later than Monday next. If they still remain on strike, the provisions of tho Military Service Act will be enforced against them. Miners, by virtue of their occupation, which is classed as a most essential industry, obtain exemption from military service with the Expeditionary Forces by the simple process of applying for it. The strikers do not appear to have taken the Prime Minister’s warning with the seriousness the occasion demands. They were invited to a meeting yesterday, but the attendance was so sparse that nothing could bo done. Another attempt to come to a decision will be made tomorrow. It is to be hoped that the miners will recognise their duty to the community and return to work. Tho inconvenience caused in this city is a small matter beside the larger issues involved at the present time by a shortage of coal It is difficult to understand how any body of men can stand idly by during the present tremendous crisis, when their industry might assist, in some degree to help the Army and Navy in their ceaseless fight. Tho war pages of the papers have contained many a clarion call to every son of tho Empire during the past three , weeks, and those calls should not fall on deaf ears among the miners of tho West Coast. The public is always liberal of its sympathy when it recognises the existence of tangible grievances, but nothing is more calculated to discredit the genuine Labour movement than irrational and vexatious strife at a time such as this. We hope that at to-mor-row’s meeting better counsels will prevail, and that the miners will once more turn to their work of providing the coal which keeps th e wheels of industry turning.