Serious Situation on New South Wales Coalfields Will Be Met By Every Government Precaution.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18946, 17 December 1929, Page 9

Serious Situation on New South Wales Coalfields Will Be Met By Every Government Precaution.

(United Press Association. —By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) (Received December 17, 10.40 a.m.) SYDNEY, December 17. It is now revealed that the police defending Rothbury yesterday morning were without ammunition from 9.30 until 11.30. The police issued a very small supply, it never being anticipated that they would need to adopt this last resort. During the two hours’ suspence thousands of miners swarmed in a threatening mass round the fence of the colliery, and, had the miners known the true position, there is no telling what might have happened in the temper they were in. All police leave has been cancelled and the police already on leave have been recalled. The Minister of Mines, Mr Weaver, says that the attacking miners began hostilities by firing shots, but Inspector James Connell, representing the Miners’ Federation, said that Mr Weaver was entirely responsible for the outbreak. He asserted that men who were taking no part in the attacks upon the police were shot down. The miners will withdraw from all the mines in New South Wales to-day in sympathy with the killed and wounded Rothbury men. Mr Bavin stated that if necessary the hotels in the Rothbury district would be closed to diminish the danger of violence and lawlessness, and volunteer police would be sworn in. Arrangements have been made to start work at Rothbury this morning, a day earlier than was anticipated. protest against the Rothbury shooting, a monster demonstration has been arranged by the Labour Council to take place in Hyde Park to-night. It is expected that at least 50,000 unionists will attend.