DANGER OF COAL STRIKE AVERTED.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19241, 1 December 1930, Page 1

DANGER OF COAL STRIKE AVERTED.

NO BIG UPHEAVAL TILL BALLOT IS HELD.

(United Press Assn.—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) (Received December 1, 10.10 a.m.) LONDON, November 30. The coal stoppage applies only to Scotland. It is expected that it will be brief and it is hoped that there will be a temporary resumption of the night shift on December 1, pending the meeting of delegates the same morning. Mr A. J. Cook declares that there can be no national strike pending a ballot vote in all districts. -A. great upheaval has for the present been averted. The next stage is the National Conference of December 4. Hope has been considerably strengthened that a stoppage in the SoutJ) Wales coal fields will be avoided. This National Coal Board, having examined the miners’ case, issued a statement that a unanimous conclusion had been reached, which had been embodied in a report forwarded to the parties concerned in the dispute. ♦ It has been unofficially stated that the report recommended that a spreadover of wages be allowed in South Wales without reduction of wages. The eight-hour day would thus be continued as is being done in other districts for a temporary period. The South Wales miners and owners held a joint conference on Saturday to consider the application of a spread-over in their district, and the miners approved of the agreement. Stoppages have been avoided in several other fields where owners and miners have come to terms. In North Staffordshire a spread-over of hours has been accepted until January 31 next, on the basis of a maximum of forty-five hours a week, at the current rate of wages. In Northumberland, there will be no spread-over of hours, but a seven and a half-hour day will be observed as laid down by the Act. In the Cannock Chase district miners will work the seven and a half-hour day for the next fortnight, pending the hearing of an appeal by the Coal Board. In the Tirivol area, the spreadover of hours will continue working as at present, pending negotiations for & final settlement. The Scottish miners decided on a complete stoppage. Mr Doonan, president of the Scottish mine workers, commenting on the decision, declared that the owners’ terms were a violation of the Coal Mines Act of 1930. For that reason there should be absolute unanimity among miners in resisting them. Mr E. Shinwell, Secretary for Mines, was all day long in touch telephonically with Mr Ramsay MacDonald.

WORK TO CONTINUE TO-DAY AS USUAL.

SOUTH WALES MINERS DECIDE AGAINST STRIKE.

(Received December 1. 1930.) RUGBY. November 30

It is now certain that in all mining areas except the Scottish coalfields, work will continue as usual to-morrow. Saturday’s meeting of Scottish delegates, which decided to cease work, took place at the same time as a similar meeting at Cardiff among the South Wales mining delegates, where a decision to continue work was reached. South Wales is a much more important coalfield and, in fact, is regarded as the danger point of the situation. A settlement reached there provides grounds for expectation that to-morrow’s meeting in Scotland will lead to a resumption of work.

The Secretary of Mines, Mr E. Shinwell, in a statement said: “There will be no interference with normal transactions in coal and no interference with exports, and buyers of coal need be under no misapprehension about obtaining supplies. There will be an abundance of coal production.” He pointed out that the Government had been in constant touch with both sides during the dispute, and mentioned that the National Industrial Board had made in regard to the Scottish appeal a similar recommendation to that in the case of South Wales, namely, that as a temporary settlement, pending negotiations, there should be no wage reductions and that the spread-over principle be adopted. Actually the agreement reached by the South Wales owners and miners provided for work on eleven days of eight hours daily during the fortnight. This gives 88

hours for a fortnight as against the permissible 90 hours a fortnight if the 7* hour day per working week, as laid down by the new Coal Mines Act, is adhered to rigidly.